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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23630359">Beckoning</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/velourianspirit/pseuds/velourianspirit'>velourianspirit</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>&amp; Juliet - Martin/West Read</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aftermath of Violence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anne &amp; Will adopt Romeo, Anne needs a hug, Bisexual Romeo Montague, Character Death, Child Abuse, Dark dark shit, Death is coming, Declarations Of Love, Denial of Feelings, Developing Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Eventual Romance, F/M, Half-Demon!Romeo Montague, Hugs, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I am so sorry for the heartbreak that's coming, Idiots in Love, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Mind Control, Overprotective, Physical Abuse, Shapeshifting, Tags May Change, The Twins Protect Each Other Until The End, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, Threats of Violence, Time Skips, Vampire Turning, Vampire!Anne Hathaway, Vampire!Hamnet Shakespeare, Vampire!Judith Shakespeare Quiney, Vampire!Susanna Shakespeare Hall, Vampire!William Shakespeare, Will is a Mess, and i am so sorry, anne's parents are awful people, anne's parents are terrible parents, based on a headcanon, fluff and sadness oh my, i am &amp;j trash, i hate romeo's dad, is this a hugging book?, literally fuck romeo's dad, lots of hugs, pyrokinesis, romeo’s dad is a piece of shit, these tags are basically a story in themselves, this is what quarantine does to the fair verona discord server, we are anti-romeo’s dad, will &amp; anne are the same age, willianne is endgame</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 18:36:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>23,203</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23630359</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/velourianspirit/pseuds/velourianspirit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>One day, while Will and Anne were at the local nursery, it was attacked by a horde of blood-thirsty vampires. Most of the children died. Will, Anne &amp; a few others, however, faced a fate that none of them wanted - they were Turned.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Anne Hathaway Shakespeare/William Shakespeare</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I decided to make Will &amp; Anne the same age for this specific AU; when they're attacked at the nursery, they're both eight.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>William Shakespeare could barely remember the day that he was Turned.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The vampires had attacked in a reasonably-sized cluster, and for no known reason. The nursery was fairly quiet on the day of the attack, especially compared to other days, but there were still a handful of kids there nonetheless. Will was one of the oldest kids in the nursery on the day of the attack, alongside the ginger girl with a radiant smile, Anne.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Few of the children survived the attacks unscathed, though nothing could be said about the mental trauma that the attack had inevitably left behind. Most of the adults were killed outright, and most of the children had been drained completely. The five other kids, including Will &amp; Anne, were lucky enough to have survived being bitten. In other ways, though, they weren’t so lucky.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Some would say that death was a kinder fate than being unwillingly Turned. Children in their infant years didn’t usually feel the full effects of being Turned until their bodies started to naturally mature as if they were still human. The magic laid dormant until their bodies were able to cope with the changes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will was about thirteen when the process began. It was rough and painful. His parents had imagined it would happen -- after all, their son had escaped relatively unharmed, minus the two distinctive bite marks on his neck. Will’s parents were naturally uncomfortable with the idea of their son being Turned, but there was nothing they could do to prevent it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will felt so alone during that week of agony. The days stretched on. On the first day, Will’s skin was burning with such intensity. His mouth was dry, so dry, and he didn’t know how to cope with it. Water didn’t quench the thirst he felt. He felt so weak for crying, but he couldn’t help it. He didn’t want this -- he didn’t want to be a vampire. He hadn’t asked to be Turned. He was unwillingly bitten, and the changes were finally happening.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There were many sleepless nights at the start of that week. His mother would leave meals outside for him; as soon as he finished them and the food started to settle, it’d all end up in the toilet. He loved his mother’s cooking under any other circumstance, but his body rejected anything he ate, craving one thing and one thing only.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He hated everything about the transformation. He wanted it all to stop. His mouth was aching and throbbing. Every little bit of his body was aching. There was no special ceremony, just days of pain. He was so, so exhausted. He just wanted to sleep.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will crawled back into bed after sitting next to the toilet for thirty minutes, and eventually fell into a deep, difficult sleep. In his sleep, he saw vivid images that he just couldn’t describe -- there were absurd shapes running through his head that not even the best authors could detail. He woke up very briefly in a confused daze, but almost instantly fell asleep, collapsing into the comfort of his warm bed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he woke up from that deep sleep, it was like the world around him had changed, but he knew it hadn’t. The world hadn’t changed at all, but Will had changed so much with such haste. He didn’t dare to open his curtains. If he saw the sunlight, there was a solid chance that the sunlight would catch his skin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will buried his head in his hands. How was he going to live as if he was the same person? He needed to drink blood to survive. He was a monster. A monster stuck in the body of a human. Would he look like a thirteen-year-old forever? Would he have to see all of his loved ones die?</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>When it came to Anne’s transformation, she had figured it would happen eventually. Ever since the attack, her parents had looked at her as if she was a disgrace to the family name, even though she hadn’t done anything wrong. She was attacked by vampires -- how was it </span>
  <em>
    <span>her </span>
  </em>
  <span>fault? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She was a little over thirteen when the first phase began. In the height of the summer, just after dinner, Anne retreated to her room, feeling particularly ill for no apparent reason. Anne’s skin felt itchy, almost as if it was alight. As she raked her nails over her arms, trying to satisfy the continuous itch, her head was spinning. She felt as if she was coming down with a virus of some kind, though Anne truly didn’t know how a virus could feel so bizarre.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She was panicking. Her skin felt so warm, but Anne was shivering and shaking as if she was exposed to the harshest wind, even though it was perfectly wonderful weather outside. What was happening? Her mouth felt dry, so incredibly dry. Her hands trembling, she reached for the bottle of water on her bedside cabinet and practically poured the entire contents down her throat, but it had scarcely any effect. It was like she was thirsty for something else entirely, not water, but…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>No. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Anne’s eyes widened with true fear and terror as she realised exactly </span>
  <em>
    <span>what </span>
  </em>
  <span>was happening. The attack, the vampires, the bite… it all rushed back to her as if it’d just happened a few days ago. Why -- why didn’t the change just happen as soon as she was bitten? Why did it have to happen to </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span>, of all people? What did she do to deserve such a thing?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her stomach was growling, but she knew that her stomach wasn’t growling for food. After all, she’d just had a relatively nice dinner that had filled her up nicely. Any blood that was left in Anne’s cheeks was long gone. She was terrified -- so, so terrified of what she’d eventually become. Her parents looked at her like she was a disgrace to the family name; soon, she would become one. Anne didn’t know how they’d react if they realised that the vampire’s venom was taking its full effect on her twelve-year-old body.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Terrified of what she’d become, Anne crawled into bed and buried herself under her duvet, wishing she wasn’t at the nursery that day. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Would the other kids who were bitten face the same fate? She remembered Will, the boy with the dark brown hair… he was bitten, wasn’t he? What would become of him? What would become of the other three kids who were bitten?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Anne’s transformation was horrible. Her parents didn’t care. Not once did she hear them knock on her bedroom door wondering if she was okay. When she cracked open her door, no food was waiting for her. In the middle of the night, she heard them arguing about what they were going to do with her. Her heart shattered. She just wanted to have a supportive family. Even if she knew she’d never, ever get one, she wanted one.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She slept for days, and when she woke up, she felt different. Anne wasn’t the same girl she used to be. She wasn’t the same twelve-year-old girl with a bright smile anymore, was she? No. She was a monster. She needed blood, but she wasn’t getting it. Not yet, at least. She didn’t want to open her bedroom door and face the probable onslaught of her parents. Anne was thirsty, but she could last it out. She hoped she could, at least. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was too bright outside for her to dare to open her curtains and look at the outside world. Anne was so confused. She felt as if she’d died and come back to life, but when she’d come back to life, everything was slightly different compared to how it’d always been. Everything around her seemed to be different, but Anne knew that she was the one who’d changed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Anne? Are you awake?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Anne inhaled sharply at the sound of her mother’s voice. The sweetness in her voice was sickly, not to mention evidently fake. She didn’t want to open the door, fearing whatever Anne’s mother had in mind for her. Her parents were right -- she </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>a disgrace. She was a monster, an embarrassment to the family name. There was nothing she could do to make this right. She was Turned against her will, but she knew her parents would somehow find a way to blame Anne for getting herself into such a mess.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Anne, you need to eat. Come on. You’ve been sleeping for the past three days.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not hungry,” said Anne through the door. “I still don’t feel well.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Anne wasn’t lying, really. She didn’t feel well. She didn’t need her mother’s food; she needed blood, but she didn’t want to admit that yet. She couldn’t deal with the fact that she needed to drink blood to survive. Anne shoved herself against her door, trying with all of her might to keep her mother out of her room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If that’s how you like it, Anne, I’ll leave some food outside for you,” said Anne’s mother. Perhaps she still had a little bit of compassion left in her after all. Anne smiled softly, a small amount of hope remaining. Maybe her parents didn’t think he was a monster after all. “I’ll leave you some water, too, Anne. Let me know if you need anything else, okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After about thirty minutes, there was another knock at Anne’s door, yet again from her mother. “Anne, if you’re hungry, I’ve left you some food out here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Anne didn’t know why, but she was tired. Not only was she tired, but she was getting thirsty. She didn’t want to drink blood. If she could just stomach a bit of food, maybe, just maybe, she would be able to control her thirst for a little while. She couldn’t go outside yet, either -- it was still too light, and she didn’t know how she’d get out of the house without her parents noticing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Anne cracked the door open, hoping to see a plate of warm food waiting for her. Instead of there being a plate of warm food, there was a glass of red liquid. Anne’s stomach lurched as soon as she realised what it was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her parents knew. Her mother was just putting on a show to deceive Anne. Her nostrils flared, and she wanted so desperately to pick up the glass and drink it all, but she just couldn’t think about it. She shook her head and moved to slam the door behind her, but --</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re a monster.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Too late.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Anne's parents don't react well to Anne's transformation.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>TW: Child Abuse</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Anne didn’t want any of it. She didn’t want to be a vampire. She didn’t want to be at the nursery on the day of the attack. She felt so, so weak. Her parents were blaming her as if it was her fault, as if she’d asked to be attacked by that vampire.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>She remembered it all. She was lost in a book that most eight-year-olds wouldn’t have been interested in. Sitting on a beanbag, it was like the world around her had disappeared as she buried herself in the book, following every word with such intent. Anne loved reading; her parents didn’t have a lot of books at home, so, whenever she could get her hands on a book at the nursery, she’d cherish it forever. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne remembered Will grabbing her hand and pulling her rather forcefully up from the beanbag she was sat on. Will was a goofball -- he was very sweet, but when Anne’s eyes met Will’s, she saw nothing but terror in the fellow eight-year-old’s eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s happening?” she asked innocently. The screams were loud, and Anne was terrified. She could tell that Will was scared, too, as the two ran away from the screams, holding hands as they ducked around the corner and ran into the kitchen, huddling in each other’s warmth near the cooker. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The adults told us to run,” whispered Will. Will’s hand was wrapped around Anne’s right hand, while she clutched her book against her chest with her left hand, her heart thumping loudly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>About five minutes passed until the two heard the door to the kitchen open. Anne was already on edge, and she flinched in Will’s arms as the door slammed behind whoever had entered the kitchen. Neither of them knew what had incited the screams, but they were terrified by whatever had walked into the kitchen, likely looking for them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne was trembling in Will’s arms as two figures dressed in dark clothing walked around the corner, heading directly towards them. They were trapped with nowhere to go -- what were they going to </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span>? They couldn’t do anything. They were paralysed with true fear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, what do we have here? Two young lovebirds?” said one of the figures, a tall man dressed almost entirely in black, aside from a crimson cravat. Anne’s eyes welled up with tears; instinctively, she buried her head into Will’s chest. “I’m not sure there will be much of these two, Heyne, but we could always create two young fledglings.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please don’t hurt us,” begged Will.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Too bad, little boy,” said Heyne, pulling Anne away from Will. Terrified, she cried out and reached for Will. Heyne was incredibly strong, and Anne could scarcely move as Heyne forced Anne away from one of her only friends. “Let’s start with this one. In due time, I’m sure she’ll have a lot of potential, Bates.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne thought she was going to die. She screwed her eyes shut, hoping that it was all an elaborate, messed up dream. She didn’t remember anything after that. Heynes, the man who’d pulled her away from Will, had forced her into a state of unconsciousness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She woke up in the back of an ambulance with a bandage wrapped around her small neck and a paramedic crooning over her. Her neck ached, and her shirt was stained with blood. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re awake,” said the paramedic, running a comforting hand through Anne’s ginger hair. “Are you alright, Anne? You lost quite a bit of blood back there. I can offer you some water if you’d like.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d like that,” muttered Anne, smiling up at the kind-hearted paramedic. The paramedic grabbed Anne’s trembling right hand and helped her up, then passed her an unopened bottle of water, which Anne appreciated greatly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know you must be scared, Anne,” continued the paramedic. “You lost a lot of blood. We’re lucky we got to you in time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne nodded. She was worried about Will. He had protected her, and she wanted to know if he was safe. The paramedic probably didn’t know about Will’s condition. It was possible he hadn’t survived, and it was her fault if he hadn’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your parents will be waiting for you at the hospital when we get there. They’ve been informed about the attack.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne stayed in the hospital for two days after the attack. Her dreams were very strange — images of herself when she was older, images of the men who’d attacked her and Will, images of an older Will with grand balls of fire bursting from his hands… it was all very confusing, and far too much for the eight-year-old to wrap her head around. She responded very well to the blood transfusion, and the rest of the tests were relatively routine, and the staff were very gentle and understanding with Anne.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>On the day Anne left the hospital with her parents, she saw Will leaving with his parents. Overjoyed with delight to see that he was okay, Anne skipped hurriedly over to Will and pulled him into a tight hug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their parents let the two eight-year-olds rejoice in each other’s company for about five minutes, until Anne’s parents insisted they had to go home because dinner would be ready relatively soon. Just before Anne left, Will grabbed Anne’s hand and produced the book she was reading on the day of the attack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You had the book!” laughed Anne, almost completely forgetting how she could’ve died if it wasn’t for the paramedics.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The paramedic picked it up and thought it was mine,” said Will. “I kept your page for you. I hope it’s still in good condition.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for keeping it for me,” whispered Anne, smiling at Will.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>She wished she hadn’t been at the nursery that day. Anne was being dragged down the stairs by her father, hatred and spite in his cold blue eyes. She was terrified of whatever they were going to do to her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re a monster,” spat Anne’s father. “You deserve nothing. You’re a disgrace to our family. I’m ashamed to call you my daughter. You’re nothing but a freak.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I didn’t ask for this</span>
  </em>
  <span>, thought Anne. She knew what would happen if she fought back against her father’s wrath. The best thing she could do was sit there and take whatever insults and beatings he had planned for her. Even if they were wickedly painful, any retort would only make everything worse for her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne’s father practically threw her onto the sofa. Anne whimpered softly as she hit her head against the back of the sofa; it was an old sofa and was barely padded anymore, so it hurt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you dare think about moving, freak,” spat Anne’s father. Anne nodded softly, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sobbed silently through each beating. It seemed to last for hours and hours upon end. By the time her father was done, Anne was so tired. Her body was incredibly sore after the beatings, and she didn’t want to ever endure it again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe her father was right. Maybe she was a monster. She didn’t deserve anything, did she? She was a freak who didn’t deserve a bed, or a roof over her head. Anne reached for the nearest cushion on the sofa and wailed into it, knowing that she had nothing to live for anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, she wasn’t even alive. At least the bruises wouldn’t show up. Her father could beat her as much as he wanted, and there wouldn’t be any marks to show for it. Perhaps that would only ignite an harsher hatred, but she was relieved that nobody had to see her arms covered in bruises.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne eventually hauled herself off the sofa and crawled upstairs, reluctantly retreating into her bedroom. She eyed the glass of blood, and Anne whimpered as she felt her fangs extend out, her stomach growling for some nourishment. She didn’t want to know where her parents had sourced a whole glass of blood, and she didn’t exactly care, either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was thirsty. Ashamed by what she’d become, Anne picked up the glass of blood with her shaking, small hands. Reluctantly putting the rim of the glass to her lips, she felt revolted by herself, but she really couldn’t help it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne was frightened by how quickly she was adjusted to consuming blood. When she was younger, she was terrified of blood, and would often faint whenever she saw anything more than a pinprick of blood spill out from a wound. Now, she was a revolting creature — a vampire — drinking away at blood. She hated it, but she couldn’t help it. It was her natural instinct, and there was nothing she could do to stop her increasing thirst.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She really was a monster.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Naturally, Will was very uncomfortable with the idea of being a vampire. He remembered when his parents softly told him that he was attacked by vampires; initially, he thought it was a light-hearted joke to keep his spirits up, but it took no time at all to realise that they were being serious. He was lucky to be alive, considering that almost all of the children had died — only four of the children escaped unscathed, while Will, Anne &amp; three others survived being bitten.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was initially angry and upset at his parents. Over the very painful week wherein Will was transforming, his parents did leave food outside for him, but it was no use — he needed blood, and any food he consumed just wouldn’t sit right with him. His parents explained that their distance from Will wasn’t because they didn’t love him, but because a vampire mid-transformation would often not react very well to any form of disruption. Will was still a little angry, but he understood that it was the best thing to do for the safety of everyone in the house.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will’s parents explained that they’d managed to procure a few pouches of blood from a local blood bank. He was initially horrified and baffled, wondering how Will’s parents had managed to get their hands on a few pouches of blood as if they were nothing. He didn’t want to question it — though deeply revolted by what he was, Will was incredibly appreciative of the gesture.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t want to drink blood, but Will was aware that he didn’t exactly have a choice. He was Turned against his will, and there was nothing he could do to change his fate. He’d be living as a vampire for the rest of his eternal days, and he just had to accept that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will,” started his mother, rubbing Will’s wrist. “I think we all know how hard this will be, but it’ll be hardest on you. I just want you to know that if you ever need us, your father and I are here for you. You’re our little boy, okay? As your parents, we’ll always love you, Will, no matter who you are or what you might’ve become.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will nodded. He was on the verge of tears. His mum was saying all of this, but he didn’t know how much of a monster he was going to become because of his involuntary vampirism. He didn’t know much, if anything, about vampire lore; as a result, Will didn’t know anything about what could happen to him in the distant future. He couldn’t just turn into a monster or a recluse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” sighed Will. “I know this… development means that I’m a burden, but I hope you can still see that I’m always going to be your son.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look at me,” said Will’s mum. “Will, you’re not a burden. This development has certainly changed things, but it’s not as if we weren’t expecting it. We were always prepared for something like this after the attack. It’s happened, but it hasn’t changed anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will nodded. It changed so much for him, but his parents were still insistent that it hadn’t changed anything. A little shaky, Will took the bag containing the pouches of blood and headed upstairs to his room to think everything through. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was so overwhelmed. He hadn’t dared to open his curtains — in fiction, vampires were often incredibly vulnerable in the sunlight, and Will imagined there was some truth in that. He wanted so badly to see the outside world again, but he was so scared of being scalded by the sunlight. He placed the bag at the bottom of his bed and sat on his bed, wondering what he was to do with his life. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t just sit inside and sulk forever, could he? He needed to adapt to the new, unprecedented situation that had unfolded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Burying his hand in his hands, Will wondered what had become of the other children who’d been bitten on the day of the attack. He wondered what had become of Anne, his childhood friend with beautiful ginger hair, a dazzling smile and a true love for books. Had she become a vampire, too? Will hadn’t seen her in two years for no known reason. He missed her. If she was going through the same process, he hoped she was getting the same support.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Two years later, Anne had scarcely adjusted to her new life as a vampire. Her father would lock her away in her room; whenever she dared to go out for anything that wasn’t the bathroom or to ashamedly collect the small amounts of blood she was given, Anne was dragged downstairs — often by the hair — by her father &amp; was relentlessly beaten until she was coughing and wheezing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The beatings and the foul treatment had Anne convinced that she was a monster and deserved nothing. Deep down, she knew better, but her father was beating it into her; she was a monster and deserved no happiness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>One day, Anne woke up in the middle of the day to incessant pounding on her bedroom door. She had picked up the habit of pushing her big dresser against her door so that her father couldn’t get in and beat her. Anne was terrified. If she didn’t wake up past a certain time, the beatings would be even worse. Two years had passed — while Anne had realised that she wasn’t sensitive to the sunlight, she was still terrified of her father. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anne, if you aren’t downstairs in ten minutes, you won’t be getting any blood for a month.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne shuddered with fear. If she didn’t have any blood for a month, there was a chance she could die from malnourishment. That was the ultimate punishment. She glanced over to the window. Maybe she could get out of the window and escape once and for all, but…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Where would she go? She didn’t have any friends. Even though she was a vampire, she was practically a fledgling — she hadn’t fed from anyone; not only was she against it, but she wasn’t allowed outside. If her parents caught her, well… she didn’t want to think about what would happen. Before she’d Turned, she had a fair amount of pocket money for the summer, and her parents hadn’t managed to find it. If she quickly packed a bag with essentials and grabbed her pocket money, there was a chance she could escape before her parents tried to knock her door down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fuck it. If she didn’t take the opportunity while she had it, she’d be imprisoned and beaten until the day her father died — and she just couldn’t wait that long. Anne tied her hair into a rough ponytail and clipped it up with one of her glitter-coated clips, and grabbed her pink suitcase that was covered in dust, having been unused for such a long time. She shoved her best clothes into the suitcase, as well as a few pairs of shoes and her chargers. Anne threw her bag of money into her backpack, and opened the window to her bedroom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The fresh air was glorious. Anne didn’t have her window open a lot, so she enjoyed every second of fresh air she could. It was a risky thing to decide to do — if her parents caught her, she would probably be killed. Still, if Anne didn’t take the risk, she would be nothing by the time she eventually escaped her father’s clutches. Taking a big breath, Anne hauled herself out of the window and jumped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne’s bedroom window was only about ten feet from the ground. Even though Anne was underdeveloped as a vampire, it wasn’t much of a jump at all. She landed perfectly on the ground, and broke into a run, running as fast as she possibly could away from her home. She felt at peace outside. Her green dress was flowing behind her as she ran, and she loved the sensation of the wind on her arms. That was the best part of wearing a sleeveless jacket — she could feel everything, and Anne loved it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She hadn’t seen the outside since she’d Turned; the world was so overwhelming. Anne hoped she could find a way to shelter herself from the inevitable wrath of her parents — she had enough money for a few nights in a cheap hotel if she could find one. She was running and running for what felt like forever…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Until she ran directly into a very tall person with short, neat dark hair. At the speed she was running, Anne immediately tumbled over onto the ground. The person she’d ran into was much taller than Anne, and immediately stretched out a helping hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You took quite a tumble there,” said the young man. “You were running really quickly, too. Are you alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne looked up and met the young man’s eyes — the same eyes she’d met so many times when she was at the nursery…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It couldn’t be, but Anne knew those eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will?”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Anne finds her peace with Will &amp; Mary, and her parents finally get their comeuppance when they show up uninvited to the Shakespeare residence, looking for Anne.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Will couldn’t believe his eyes. Anne, his childhood friend, was right in front of him. She was so small and frail, and looked as if she was practically malnourished… what had happened to her? Will took Anne’s hand and pulled her onto her feet. Instinctively, Anne wrapped her arms around Will, hugging him and crying softly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anne,” whispered Will, running his hands through Anne’s soft ginger hair. “It’s so good to see you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will hadn’t seen Anne in years, and he didn’t know why. He thought her family might’ve moved away, because his own parents saw nothing of Anne’s family, and said that their house looked as if it’d been abandoned. At one point, Will assumed the worst.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened to you? You look so unwell,” continued Will, still holding Anne, not wanting to let go. He thought he’d lost her forever, and he hadn’t, but he was so worried. She was pale and so thin, as if she hadn’t been eating for a long time. Anne sobbed into Will’s chest, not responding. Something monumental had happened to Anne, and Will was worried. “Do you want to come back to mine?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please,” she whispered, pulling away from Will’s chest and looking into his eyes. She hadn’t forgotten his beautiful brown eyes. “I just can’t go back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will was so angered. Something serious had happened to his childhood friend -- looking into her eyes, he saw so much pain. Will didn’t know what had happened to Anne, and he knew it wasn’t the right time to ask, but he knew he had to make someone pay for their mistreatment of Anne. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on,” said Will, picking up Anne’s suitcase with his free hand. “Mum and Dad will be so happy to see you, Anne.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will and his family lived in a big house compared to Anne’s childhood home; as they were walking to Will’s house, he explained that Anne could stay with them for as long as she wanted. Anne was so grateful for his generosity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once they approached the door, Will decided against opening the door with his keys, and instead knocked on the door, waiting for someone to answer. His mother opened the door only a few seconds later, and was surprised to see Anne holding Will’s hand tightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anne?” gasped Mary, shocked to see Will’s childhood friend. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mum,” said Will, looking down at Anne and looking across to his mother. “I bumped into Anne while I was out in town. She was in a very vulnerable state. I was wondering if it’s alright if Anne stayed with us for a while?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course it is!” said Mary, grabbing Anne and pulling her into a tight, protective hug. Anne was so overwhelmed with how kind Will &amp; his mother were. They didn’t need to be so generous, but they were helping Anne without any hesitation. For the first time in a long time, she felt truly at peace.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Anne explained that she transformed when she was thirteen, almost fourteen, and her parents hadn’t reacted at all too well to it. Will felt pure rage as Anne explained the way her father mistreated her. How could someone be so cruel to their own daughter? Anne was practically still a fledgling vampire because of her mistreatment. Will wanted to hurt them for hurting Anne, but he cared too much about Anne — he knew such a rash move would hurt her feelings.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne was crying by the time she was finished explaining everything, and Will felt true fury as he cradled Anne gently in his arms, running his fingers through her hair, trying his best to keep her calm. Will’s mother must’ve noticed the fury on his face, because she gave him a stern look of simultaneous reassurance and guidance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay now, Anne,” whispered Will. “You’re safe here. We’ll look after you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will was going to protect Anne forever. She didn’t deserve to be treated in such a way. His childhood friend had been so poorly treated for years, and Will hadn’t the faintest clue. He was angry, mostly at Anne’s parents, but also at himself. He should’ve done something a long time ago before Anne’s life went completely downhill. If he’d just gone to their house, he would’ve been able to help Anne…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want some blood, Anne?” said Mary, rubbing Anne’s arm in a supportive fashion. Anne nodded. Her stomach was empty, and she was running on adrenaline and energy. She was worried that her parents would eventually find her and drag her back to that place, and she didn’t want that. “Alright. I’ll sort some out for you, and then I’ll show you around the house.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once Anne had calmed down, Will released her from his tight grip, his eyes unmoving as she wiped her tears and recollected herself. She was so small, and likely didn’t even know that she would have some kind of power as a result of her vampirism. Will realised Anne probably didn’t know anything about her position as a vampire, minus the fact that they could both walk in the sun. Anne smiled softly at Will, but there was still so much pain in her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have us now, Anne,” said Will, squeezing her hand. “You don’t need to worry about anything anymore. I promise that we’ll look after you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” replied Anne, squeezing Will’s hand back in response. “I know this has all happened so quickly, but I’m so glad I ran into you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad, too.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>It took no time for Anne to realise just how great of a mother Mary was. About a month after she’d taken Anne in out of the kindness of her heart, she offered to take Anne clothes shopping. She didn’t have a lot of clothes, and Mary had noticed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne thankfully already looked a lot healthier than she had done when she first arrived, and she was smiling with genuine intent again. It was wonderful to see Anne happy, and Will was overjoyed by her happiness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While Anne and Will’s mother were out in town shopping, Will was reading a book, but he was suddenly interrupted by a loud, continuous pounding on the front door. Will looked up, a little worried by the incessant pounding. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anne! Anne, we know you’re in there!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span><em>Shit</em>. Will shot up onto his feet and looked outside of his window to have his worst fears confirmed. Anne’s parents were outside, pounding on the door. They’d somehow managed to track her down and work out that she was living with Will and his mother. They had thankfully come when Anne was out, but she’d be back in no time at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will knew he had been gifted with pyrokinesis, but he didn’t really know how to control his powers. He could only do so much to ward them off. Hopefully, he’d be able to scare them with his powers, but Will wasn’t all too sure if they’d be scared by a teenager with wisps of fire jetting out of his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will rushed downstairs and pressed himself against the door, staring through the peephole. There was spite and hatred in Anne’s father’s eyes; while his mother didn’t look as enraged, she was angry. Will was just a kid — he couldn’t fight that well. If it came to it, he’d call the police.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Open up!” yelled Anne’s father. “I want to see my daughter. I know she’s here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s not here,” said Will calmly through the door. “I’d suggest you two leave now before I have to call the police. If you’re looking for your daughter, you might have more of an interest going to them. Almost knocking down the door to my house isn’t going to help you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know she’s here, brat,” spat Anne’s father. “You can call the police if you want, but you’ll only get yourself in trouble, boy. I’m sure you won’t want to have her in your house when you realise how much a monster she is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The only monster in this situation is you, sir. Anne hasn’t done anything wrong to warrant such mistreatment. I will call the authorities and report you both for child abuse &amp; invasion of private property if you don’t leave in the next few minutes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Open the fucking door, boy!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will flinched. If Anne’s dad didn’t hesitate to swear at Will for refusing to open the door to his house, well… he didn’t want to think about how he’d treated Anne. He could imagine it, and that was more than enough.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will moved away from the door and bolted it shut, intending to head upstairs while Anne’s father was still relentlessly banging on the door. Before he bolted upstairs, he went into the kitchen and retrieved the biggest kitchen knife he could find, tucking it casually into the belt of his jeans. He promptly ran upstairs and moved everything away from his bedroom window, staring down at Anne’s parents. They were disgraceful, and didn’t deserve to have such a kind-hearted, beautiful daughter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not opening the door,” shouted Will, dangling out of his window. “I can assure you, you won’t be getting into the house if I have any say in it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Disobedient boy,” snapped Anne’s father. “I know you’re hiding our daughter from us. She deserves to be with her parents, not with a stupid little boy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually,” purred Will, climbing entirely out of his window and jumping down to the ground, “from what I’ve heard, she doesn’t deserve to be with her parents considering how awfully you’ve treated her for the last few years.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s the funny thing. I know exactly what I’m talking about. You can deny it all you want, but you treated Anne like she’s worthless for no reason. She’s the sweetest person I’ve ever met. She’s safe here, and she’s not going anywhere.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what do you know, little boy? If Anne isn’t here, where the fuck is she?” Anne’s father was losing his temper, and Will could see it in his eyes. He was inching closer towards Will, and Will would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little scared. Considering just how he was so intent on finding Anne, Will was sure that he would resort to violence if he deemed it necessary.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t need to know where she is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do, actually. She’s my daughter,” barked Anne’s father. “If you knew what she was, boy, you wouldn’t want to let her into your house. She belongs home with us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will’s fingertips were starting to feel warmer. He was angry, and he knew he was on the edge of summoning a ball of pure fire. If he did summon it, he’d lose all control.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t know how lucky you were to have such a wonderful daughter,” said Will. “Even so, you treated her like she was a monster when she’s the complete opposite. She belongs somewhere where she’ll be treated for everything she’s worth, and she’s worth the world.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne’s dad opened her mouth to speak, but another voice stopped him from opening his mouth and snapping at Will.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leave him alone, Dad.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Anne and Mary had enjoyed their little trip into town. It was the first time Anne had been amongst other people in a long time, and she was so grateful to have been allowed outside without being punished. Anne treated Mary to a coffee &amp; a slice of decadent carrot cake after they finished shopping, and they spent their walk back home engrossed in casual conversation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” started Mary, “you’ve obviously been friends with Will for a while, but I see the way you look at him — not to mention the way he looks at you. Do you like him more than a friend?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If Anne was able to blush, she would’ve. Instead, she felt embarrassed and surprised by Mary’s statement. She was so overwhelmed with the generosity of Will and his mother; maybe she’d just been too caught up in her emotions, especially after she ran into the only friend she’d ever had…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know,” said Anne. “This past month has been so overwhelming. I think I might’ve just ended up getting my emotions in a twist, especially after having them repressed for such a long period of time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I understand that,” sighed Mary. “I’m just so glad you’re better. Not only are you physically better than you were, but you’re so much happier. I’m glad we could help you when you were in such a deplorable situation.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I really can’t thank you all enough for how kind you’ve been to me,” continued Anne, smiling with such intent at Mary. “You know, not too long ago, I felt like such a burden. Some days, I still do, but I feel like I belong now more than I think I ever have.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mary nodded and smiled at Anne, squeezing her free hand before she rummaged around in her bag for her house keys. Seconds later, Anne stopped dead in her tracks, paralysed completely, her eyes widened with pure terror.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anne? What’s wrong?” asked Mary, rushing to Anne’s side as soon as she noticed the intense fear on Anne’s face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re here,” she whispered, grabbing onto Mary’s arm. Mary whipped her head around, and a loud gasp escaped her as she noticed Anne’s parents outside of the house. Will stood only a few feet away from Anne’s father, who had a menacing look written across his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne was mortified. Her parents hadn’t just managed to work out where she was staying, but they’d shown up outside of the Shakespeare residence while Anne was out. Not only that, but Will was defying Anne’s father, who looked as if he was seconds away from beating Will into a pulp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t move, Anne,” muttered Mary. “I’ll call the police if he moves any closer towards Will.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne’s fear had subsided. She was suddenly blinded with rage and spite. She had a chance to finally stand up to her father without being scared of the outcome, solely because she knew she wasn’t alone. Anne dropped the bag of shopping she was carrying and walked forward, ignoring what Mary had said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leave him alone, Dad,” shouted Anne, clenching her fists as she advanced towards Will and her parents.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There you are, you wayward monster,” spat Anne’s father. His words didn’t hurt in the slightest, no matter how they might’ve felt previously. “You’re going to pay for what you did, brat. You deserve nothing. Remember that for as long as you live.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve had enough of you,” said Anne, looking directly into her father’s eyes. “You ruined my life. I’ve found solace with Will &amp; Mary. I won’t come back to that place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anne,” whispered Will, grabbing Anne’s wrist. “Don’t get yourself hurt, please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne furrowed her brows, noticing how strangely warm Will’s hand was. She shook her head and simply smiled at her friend. “I know what I’m doing,” whispered Anne in response, keeping a hushed tone. “Trust me. Please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see what this is,” snapped Anne’s father, looking at Will &amp; Anne with disgust in his eyes. “You’re both freaks, aren’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think you’re the freak here, Dad. You forced me to always be scared of others. Even now, you’re looking at me like I’m the monster, when you and I both know that you’re the monster in this situation.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How dare you speak to me like that, Anne?” questioned Anne’s father, towering over her, his shadow covering her form as he raised a fist. Will pulled at Anne’s hand, trying his best to pull her away from the impending impact, but Anne didn’t move. Instead, she lifted her free hand and caught her father’s hand before it could inch any closer towards her, stopping him with ease.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was surprised by her own strength. Will knew that it wouldn’t be all too long until Anne discovered and understood her abilities as a vampire, and it seemed that she’d suddenly discovered the vampiric basics. All vampires were gifted with superhuman strength &amp; speed; while Anne had quickly discovered how fast she could run, she didn’t know the limits of her own strength.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anne,” growled her father, glaring down at her while she pushed his fist away. “You’re going to regret this if you don’t let go this second.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne didn’t say another word. Her head was spinning. She was overwhelmed — she wasn’t necessarily in pain, but she felt dizzy, as if she hadn’t been eating again. She had, though, so why was she dizzy? Anne stared into her father’s eyes, and started to speak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want you both to never bother me again,” she said, an immense, immeasurable power in her voice. Suddenly, Anne’s father reclined, looking at her with furrowed, confused brows. “You will forget me entirely. If you see me, you won’t remember who I am. If you go into my old room at your house, you won’t remember me. From now on, you don’t have a daughter.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne watched triumphantly as her father grasped her mother’s hand, and they walked away, seemingly in a very confused state. Finally, she exhaled all of the air that was pent up inside of her; suddenly, she was on the floor, overwhelmed by everything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anne,” said Will, immediately getting onto his knees and taking Anne’s hand, “are you alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine,” breathed Anne, looking into Will’s eyes. Her body wasn’t particularly sore, but Anne felt extremely tired, as if she’d just used all of her energy on whatever she’d managed to do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did you just do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t really know,” muttered Anne, gripping Will’s hand. “I don’t know what came over me. Whatever that was… it felt right. It was almost like I unlocked some courage I didn’t know I had.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There was so much power in your words,” continued Will, a little pride in his voice as he helped Anne onto her feet. “It’s possible mind control is one of your powers. It would make sense, considering how you did that with such ease.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe,” Anne whispered. Suddenly, without any warning, she pulled Will into a tight hug. “Thank you for standing up to them when I wasn’t here. You didn’t need to do that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’ve tormented you for years,” countered Will. “It was the least I could do considering everything that’s happened.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne giggled softly into Will’s chest, only because she was still so shocked by everything. She felt so alive when she was with Will. Life seemed to make sense when they were together; maybe Mary was right, and maybe Anne liked Will in ways she hadn’t originally expected to.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Having spent six months working on their abilities, Anne &amp; Will go into town together to feel like normal teenagers again.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter is more filler than anything else, but it's fluff (and no angst for once, a shocker) and was really fun to write.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Six months had passed since Anne had confronted her parents, and life was interesting. She was completely adjusted to her life as a vampire, and was working on controlling her new abilities with each passing day. Mind control was a daunting weapon; while it was certainly fun, it was a dangerous thing to mess around with. As well as mind control, Anne learned that she possessed the ability to shapeshift, which was an interesting power to control. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Over those six months, Anne grew closer to Will, as expected. They were already close, but they helped each other out with controlling their powers, and spent a lot of time together in the evenings, musing over their mutual love of literature. As soon as Will’s parents went off to bed, they would go out into the garden and look at the stars together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne had so much room for Will in her life. He was so kind, caring and protective — if not overwhelmingly so at times. He was incredibly smart, but was still a goofball nonetheless, and would go out of his way to make Anne laugh over the simplest of things. They would walk through the town together holding hands. Anne wasn’t sure if Will felt the same way about her, but Anne knew she wanted to be with Will until the end — whenever that would be, of course.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>One night, the two of them were stargazing on their backs when Will piped up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know,” started Will, turning to face Anne, only a few inches apart from her, “it’s quite funny that I’m a vampire and I have pyrokinetic abilities. Obviously, in your standard fictitious vampiric lore, vampires are particularly flammable. I know we aren’t, but it’s just a funny observation, isn’t it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” agreed Anne, smiling at Will. “It sounds silly. If you think about it, though, we </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> technically undead teenagers who consume blood to survive. Nothing about this is normal, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Especially if it means I get to spend every waking minute with you, </span>
  </em>
  <span>thought Anne. She would’ve said it out loud if she had the courage, but she was too scared that Will was going to reject her outright. Such a bold unrequited confession would ruin their friendship, and Anne didn’t want that. Her feelings were staying inside of her head until it was the perfect time to let them out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will smiled at Anne before he returned his gaze to the sky, trying to process what he’d heard Anne think without being too facially expressive. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Especially if it means I get to spend every waking minute with you. </span>
  </em>
  <span>The sentence seemed like a continuation of what she’d said, but Will was confused by the sentence’s double meaning. They were friends, best friends, and Will easily could’ve passed off the sentence as something that one friend would say to another. The other meaning to the sentence, though… well, that was self-explanatory.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will had realised how much he loved Anne when she defied her own character and stood up for herself against her parents. He was so amazed by how much Anne had grown as a person in such a short amount of time. From the moment she ran into him, Will looked at Anne as if she was the only person in the world. No one else mattered to him as much as Anne did. At first, he thought it was solely because of what he’d discovered about Anne’s struggles with her parents, but he quickly acknowledged that he did, indeed, have feelings for her that went beyond the standard levels of friendship.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wanted so badly to tell her that he loved her as more than a friend, but the last thing Will wanted to do was frighten Anne. She deserved to be happy, so Will did what felt right — he sat and waited on his feelings to either diminish or thrive. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They did't diminish at all, of course. As the two of them trained to polish off their powers, Will discovered that he’d also adopted the ability to read minds, but he didn’t mention it, only because he was so focused on getting his pyrokinesis under control. Naturally, they got closer as time progressed, but Will was sure that Anne didn’t feel the same way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe he’d been wrong all along, and Anne did feel the same way about him. Only time would tell, but Will didn’t know how long he’d be able to wait. Sighing, he glanced over at Anne, whose dazzling eyes were lost in the stars. He was so infatuated with her, and wished he had the courage to tell her there and then.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>About a week later, Will woke up with a small ginger cat asleep on his chest. At first, he was confused and panicked — he didn’t know how the cat had been able to make its way in the house. After five minutes of looking around the house with the sleeping cat in his arms, he realised that his parents were nowhere to be found, and neither was Anne.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was when it clicked. Anne was nowhere to be found because she didn’t need to be searched for. She must’ve transformed at some point during the night, and she must’ve managed to sneak into Will’s room, jump onto his bed and curl up into a ball on his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will smiled at the picturesque image of Anne’s feline form. She was small as a cat, which wasn’t much of a change compared to how short she was, too. She was a beautiful fluffy ginger cat with the brightest, boldest eyes. Will walked back into his bedroom and placed Anne back onto his bed, leaving her to sleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne yelped when she woke up on Will’s bed, feeling particularly embarrassed. She didn’t remember getting into Will’s room in the first place, nor did Anne remember falling asleep on his bed, so… how had such a thing happened? Blinking through her memories of the night before, she remembered transforming into her cat form, but she couldn’t recall how she managed to get into Will’s room, let alone fall asleep on his bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, Anne’s clothes remained in-tact when she transformed, so it wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>too</span>
  </em>
  <span> embarrassing when Will walked into his room with a Cheshire-like grin across his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning,” said Will, passing Anne a freshly-brewed cup of coffee. Both of them had managed to get their taste buds under control so that they could keep up appearances and tolerate human food; even if it provided minimal nourishment, it certainly looked better than drinking blood from a human in broad daylight. “I trust you slept well?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” giggled Anne in an apologetic voice, taking a sip of the coffee. “I think we should probably work on the fact that I can only remember a few things when I shift into another form. I can barely remember anything from last night’s transformation.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry about it,” drawled Will, sitting down on his bed next to Anne. “To be honest, it was really cute when I woke up to see you all curled up on my chest, Anne. I wish you could see yourself as a cat — you’re so cute.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe you could take a few pictures for me if you have the chance when I next unknowingly transform, sneak into your room and promptly fall asleep on your chest,” joked Anne, jabbing Will’s side with her elbow. “I don’t snore as a cat, do I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, you don’t,” continued Will. “I’m not too sure if you do or don’t snore when you’re like this, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” said Anne, gently whacking Will’s upper arm, barely using any strength so Will knew it was all a joke. “I’ve been told time and time again I don’t snore when I sleep, Will. I imagine you’re a very loud snorer, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope,” said Will, grinning down at Anne.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re shitting me! You </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span> snore!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, that doesn’t mean I’m a bad person!” laughed Will, almost spilling his coffee as the two joked around. When Anne stopped to catch a breath because she’d been laughing so much, Will found himself lost in Anne’s beautiful eyes. She was legitimately gorgeous; she wasn’t just beautiful when it came to her appearance, but she had a kind, wonderful soul.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” asked Anne, noticing how Will was staring directly into her eyes. She wanted so desperately to hold the eye contact and kiss him, but she was so unsure of herself. Hell, she didn’t even know </span>
  <em>
    <span>how</span>
  </em>
  <span> she was supposed to kiss someone — it wasn’t as if she had any past experience. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, nothing,” lied Will. “I was thinking of going into the town centre today and seeing what books I could find in charity shops, if you want to come along with me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d love to come along!” exclaimed Anne, jumping onto her feet. “We could stop for a smoothie or something, too, now that human food doesn’t make us sick, yeah?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, that’d be great!” Will paused as he looked at Anne as she walked out of the door, a great big smile written across her face. “I’ll just get dressed into something more appropriate. I know ‘lazy’ is in fashion right now, but I’m not sure pyjamas are really appropriate to wear out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, probably not!” As Anne was walking into her bedroom, she lingered in her door frame for a second, looking back at Will’s door as he closed it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I just wish I had the courage to tell you</span>
  </em>
  <span>, thought Anne, not knowing that Will could hear her thoughts. </span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>It was early October, and it was still relatively warm, so Anne decided to wear a nice flowy dress and her favourite sleeveless jacket. It was the same one that she wore when she ran into Will out of sheer chance, so it held a lot of sentimental value to Anne. She slipped into her favourite pair of boots and grabbed the cute handbag Mary had crafted for her — it was made out of a lot of different scraps of fabric, and Anne loved it so much. It was unique, one-of-a-kind, and Anne would almost always use it when she was going into town. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will stepped out of his room, having opted for a reasonably thick hoodie, a t-shirt with “implicit content” sprawled across the chest, and a comfy pair of black jeans. Anne looked radiant; she had pulled her hair into a casual plait. Paired with her outfit, she looked so healthy and happy. Technically, the two were going on a date — unofficial or not, it was practically a date. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ready?” asked Anne, grinning at Will. “I hope we ransack every single shelf of those charity shops and find some cracking reads. I wouldn’t want to discuss my latest reads with anyone else. Book club is great when I’m doing it with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it a club if it’s only two people?” enquired Will, jokingly. Anne laughed as she was walking downstairs. Once she got downstairs, she made sure she had her house keys before leaving the house. “I’m sure Mum &amp; Dad will be back soon. You don’t need to worry about having your keys.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne rolled her eyes and glanced back at Will, jiggling her keys around in her hand. She stuck her tongue out jokingly at Will and tossed her keys into her bag, grinning wildly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two of them spent most of the day roaming around in the town’s multiple charity shops, overjoyed when they found books with wonderfully enticing blurbs &amp; beautiful, intricate covers. Together, they ended up with about forty books between them, which would’ve been a difficult carry if they weren’t vampires with superhuman strength. Anne introduced Will to her favourite smoothie place, where she ordered a Mango Mix-Up, while Will went for a Blueberry Blitz. As well as their smoothies, they both got a piece of Victoria Sponge cake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They sat down inside of the smoothie shop, sipping away at their smoothies and tucking into their cakes. The silence between the two of them was deafening, and neither of them knew how to start up the conversation. In public, they couldn’t really talk about their powers, only because people would automatically assume they were lunatics. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Enjoying your smoothie?” asked Anne.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s great,” replied Will. “Really great, actually. It’s so great to enjoy something as jovial as a smoothie like this. Thanks for bringing me here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is my favourite place in town, and I thought it was more than appropriate to introduce you properly considering everything that’s happened recently,” explained Anne. “It’s so wonderfully atmospheric here. Everything is so funky, especially compared to the rest of town. I think that’s why I love it — I’m just drawn to the uniqueness of this place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can see why. It’s great.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After they finished their smoothies and slices of cake, Will and Anne headed back to the house. Anne’s head was spinning. She desperately wished she had the courage to tell Will about how she felt. The day had been so perfect, and Anne’s feelings for Will had only increased as a result of their trip into town. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for coming into town with me today, Anne,” said Will, just as they neared the house. “Today would’ve just been any other day if you hadn’t come with me, but you made it special just by coming with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne smiled. She wished she had the courage to tell Will about how she felt. “Well, whenever you want to ransack the charity shops for more books again, feel free to drag me along,” voiced Anne, looking down briefly at the bulging bag of books and looking back up at Will. “Well, to be fair, I don’t actually think we need to ransack the charity shops for a while, do we?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Probably not,” laughed Will. “Still, it doesn’t mean we can’t have fun in town, does it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s so much more to do in town than ransack our favourite charity shops. Next time, you could always show me your favourite places that aren’t the bookshop with the café,” joked Anne, grabbing her keys from her bag.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, don’t have a go at me! Coleman’s is wonderful. I’ll make sure to take you there in the next few weeks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The next few weeks, huh? Is that a definitive statement, Will?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It can be.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” continued Anne. “And if you don’t stick to that, I’ll turn into a boa constrictor and sneak into your room when you’re asleep.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t do that. You know how much I hate snakes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” joked Anne, jabbing Will in the side. “To be fair, I don’t even think I can turn into a boa constrictor. I’ve never tried it. It was just a joke, but you never know — in a few weeks time, I could be able to turn into a boa constrictor if you don’t stick to that promise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, alright. I’ll take you to Coleman’s in the next few weeks. Besides, I don’t exactly want to wake up to a boa constrictor wrapped around my arms &amp; legs. I’m sure you’ll love it there — and if you don’t, I’ll be surprised.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re like that place’s spokesperson, Will,” said Anne, faking a yawn. She looked up into Will’s eyes as they stopped outside of the front door, melting in the chocolate-like warmth of his big brown eyes. </span>
  <em>
    <span>If only I wasn’t so scared of losing you,</span>
  </em>
  <span> thought Anne.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Anne &amp; Will both get their chance to express their true feelings for each other.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The day after their trip into the town centre, Will woke up earlier than he had previously. However, when he went to get out of bed, he found that he was trapped by Anne’s arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will’s eyes widened as he glanced over to the sight of Anne sleeping. Even as she slept, she was still beautiful, as always. Her hair was splayed out behind her. Will was trapped by Anne’s arms and legs; her right leg was wrapped around Will’s right leg, while her left arm was tucked under Will’s back and her right arm was splayed across his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will cherished every moment he had with Anne, especially moments that weren’t intentional. It was probable that Anne had gone into Will’s room while assuming another form, and had fallen asleep assuming that form, but had transformed back while she was still asleep. Will assumed that was the case, at least — he probably would’ve heard Anne sneaking into his room. He relished every single minute he spent with Anne curled up next to him. He knew it wouldn’t last all that long, but it was still so wonderful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>About an hour later, Will was scrolling through Twitter when Anne shifted in her sleep, and softly grunted. She was waking up. A small smirk travelled across Will’s lips as Anne stretched in the way that reminded him of a cat. She yawned and opened her eyes slowly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne yelped as soon as she realised the situation she was in. How had such a thing happened? Her limbs were sprawled across Will’s right side, almost as if she was deliberately keeping him close, but Anne didn’t know how that’d happened. She’d morphed into her feline form in the middle of the night and decided to jump up onto Will’s bed again, but she didn’t know she could transform back while asleep. She was frankly embarrassed by how she’d sprawled herself across Will; with haste, she dashed off the bed, her brows furrowed as she looked around Will’s room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I — uh, I don’t know how that happened,” she managed, stumbling over her words. Will tossed his head back and laughed heartily at Anne’s embarrassment. She was so adorable when she was flustered; even if she couldn’t physically blush, Will knew that there would be blood rushing to her cheeks if she wasn’t a vampire. “Hey, don’t laugh at me! I didn’t think I was able to transform back in my sleep!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t work yourself up about it,” said Will. “It’s fine, honestly. I guess now we know you don’t have to be conscious to use your shapeshifting powers, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“R-right,” stammered Anne. She had unknowingly wrapped her arms and legs around Will in her sleep. If she hadn’t been so flustered, she probably would’ve stayed in her original position. Will was surprisingly comfortable with the situation, Anne thought — maybe it really wasn’t as much of a big deal as Anne insisted, and maybe that was because Will didn’t feel the same way? She was probably overthinking everything as usual.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne scrunched up her face and headed towards Will’s door, intending to get dressed for the day, but Will stopped her from going any further when he called out her name.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anne,” started Will. “I need to tell you something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Anne turned around to look at Will, he had a completely serious look on his face. Had something happened that Anne didn’t know about? She rushed towards Will and sat down cross-legged next to him on the bed, concern written all over her face. She didn’t know what Will was about to say. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When we were about four months into training and controlling our powers, I discovered that I’ve got another one. I didn’t tell you at the time — it just slipped my mind because we were so focused on controlling my pyrokinesis at the time, but… well, it feels wrong to have kept this from you for so long.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have another power?” asked Anne, a slight amount of excitement in her eyes, burying almost all prior concern. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he continued. “I’m telepathic, Anne. It’s all under control — it really wasn’t hard to deal with, but I thought it was only appropriate to tell you. We’re in this together, aren’t we?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Always,” said Anne, grabbing Will’s hand. “Is it like selective hearing, then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Internally, Anne was a little worried. Will was telepathic, and she didn’t know if he had heard her constant thoughts about him. She didn’t have any way of knowing unless he admitted to it. Maybe he just thought she was crazy, even though they were already living in such a crazy world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not really that selective,” drawled Will, squeezing Anne’s hand. “I mean, if I don’t want to have anyone’s thoughts in my head, I can focus all of my energy into repelling their thoughts. I haven’t tried to narrow it down to one person yet, but I think I’ll work it all out in due time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right,” said Anne, thinking about how Will could’ve heard everything she’d been thinking about him. “So, if I was thinking about you, you’d hear it, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” It seemed that Anne had caught on. She was very bright, after all, and Will had decided to tell her, because it felt wrong to evade her mind without her knowing. “Because you’re right next to me right now, anything you think is so loud, it’s basically spoken. Of course, you’re not saying whatever you might be thinking, but that’s how it works, I think.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you, Will.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will stopped. He was surprised by Anne’s sudden confession; though he had known it would be coming eventually, he couldn’t entirely work out what had suddenly motivated her to say it. She sucked in a breath as Will’s eyes met with hers, captivated by his gaze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I — sorry, it’s just… well, I’ve been thinking about you a lot. About us. Over the past few months, I’ve realised that my emotions aren’t getting the best of me. What I’m feeling is real, Will. I love you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will was breathless. He was so starstruck by Anne’s sudden confession. She had fumbled her way through her confession, but Anne had said what she’d longed to say for months. Anne wasn’t out of character often, but when she was, she was fierce and ended up getting whatever she wanted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry. You — you probably don’t feel the same way. That was stupid of me. Sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anne,” said Will, grabbing Anne’s hand as she launched herself up to go, pulling her back onto the bed. “I know what you’re feeling, because I feel it too. You might not believe it, but I do. I want to spend eternity with you, Anne. I love you with so much of my heart.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait,” whispered Anne, putting her hand on Will’s chest. “You aren’t joking, are you? You wouldn’t do that to me, would you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t ever do that to you,” continued Will, taking Anne’s hand. “I love you so much, Anne. I didn’t know you felt so passionately until a few weeks ago, but I felt the need to wait for the right time to tell you. I didn’t want to hurt our friendship by telling you if you didn’t feel the same way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I felt like that, too,” laughed Anne, inching closer to Will. “I’ve known for a while, but I didn’t want to hurt what we have. Fuck me, though — it feels so good to say it out loud.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will laughed and raked his hands through Anne’s hair. “I know,” muttered Will. Not really knowing exactly what he was doing, Will kissed Anne, doing as well as he could. As it was Will’s first kiss, as well as Anne’s, it was a little sloppy and messy, but it encapsulated their relationship perfectly. Anne wrapped her arms around Will’s neck as they kissed. For both of them, the world suddenly made so much sense.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>About a month after their first kiss, Will &amp; Anne decided to officially start dating. They would spend the evenings together watching terrible reality TV shows, and would curl up on the sofa under piles of blankets until one of them fell asleep. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>One night, Mary &amp; John had gone out for the evening, leaving Will &amp; Anne to their own devices. They were watching a shitty low-budget Halloween movie and hovering over a bowl of popcorn when the clouds opened above them, and a large clap of thunder rolled out across the sky. Anne didn’t blink all too much, but Will’s reaction was what surprised her. He jumped out of his skin, his knee jerking upwards as a default reaction; as a result, some of the popcorn in the bowl spilled onto the carpet, but Will didn’t notice it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ever since he was a kid, he hated storms. He didn’t know why he had such an intense reaction to them, but he did. Will was petrified by the cloud claps of thunder and the way that lightning would create a bright flash of whiteness for a few seconds. Anne turned to look at Will, her eyebrows furrowed with confusion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you alright, Will?” asked Anne, squeezing Will’s hand, an impulse reaction to Will’s jerkiness. He was significantly paler in the face, and the fear of the storm was practically paralytic. Terror was written across his face, and all Anne could see was the bountiful amounts of fright in his big, brown eyes. Since they’d bumped into each other by chance, there wasn’t a single storm, and maybe that was why Anne didn’t know about Will’s intense fear of storms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne acted as quickly as she could. Still wrapped under the blankets, she tossed them off herself and sat on them, staying as close to Will as possible as her body hummed with energy. Slowly but surely, Anne transformed into her feline form; it wasn’t painful anymore, as she was certainly transforming into her feline form more than her other forms. Will’s eyes stayed on her as she transformed, trying to distract himself from the ongoing storm. Once she was fully transformed, she jumped onto Will’s lap and buried herself against his arm, comforting him in the best way she could think of.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will smiled down at Anne. In her state, she was incredibly small; her fur was characteristically ginger, and it was wonderfully fluffy &amp; perfect for a good cuddle. Anne was always comforting, but there was something special about Anne’s feline form. She helped him calm down; distracting himself from the ongoing storm, Will rubbed underneath her chin, inciting loud, noticeable purrs that almost completely drowned out the claps of thunder. Even as Anne sensed that Will had calmed down, she stayed in her feline form for a little longer until she gave Will a look that seemed to ask if he was alright. Will nodded, and Anne jumped off Will’s lap and transformed hastily back into herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” whispered Will. “You didn’t have to do that, Anne.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did,” interjected Anne. “You’re my boyfriend, and I could tell you weren’t reacting well to the storm. You’ve treated me so well, and it’s only appropriate for me to do the same whenever you need my help."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I should’ve told you about how I get whenever there’s a storm. It… it slipped my mind, really.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s not been a storm since the day we bumped into each other,” continued Anne, putting her head on Will’s chest. “Of course it slipped your mind. Just know that, whenever there’s a storm in the future, I’ll be right here, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you so much, Anne.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Years since Anne &amp; Will got together have passed, and they're had a few kids -- Susanna, Judith and Hamnet. Still, things never stay the same for long.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry I haven't updated in a while! I had all of my uni deadlines in April, but I hope you enjoy this chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Years passed, and life had only since been on an uphill climb for Will &amp; Anne. The hopeless young lovebirds weren’t all too hopeless anymore — instead, they were happily married with three children, and lived in a spacious house that was more than efficient for the five-person household.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Susanna was the eldest of their children. She was a mischievous, chaotic girl, but she was wonderful — she was intelligent and devious. She discovered her powers at a surprisingly fast rate; it turned out that she was blessed with telekinesis and the ability to… well, control and manipulate air. It was strange when a three-year-old Susanna unconsciously removed all of the air from a room. Eventually, she learned to completely control her powers, just as her parents had done.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Judith and Hamnet were twins, and they were surprisingly different. Judith was a bubbly bookworm who was interested in learning about the history of vampires, mostly because her powers were especially unique. Judith was capable of emitting a scream that ripped through high amplitudes and paralysed any enemies. She was small in stature, which was quite amusing considering her primary power. As well as her primary power, Judith was shockingly adept with a sword, implying she possessed the ability of enhanced swordmanship. It was a strange power, but her powers combined were exceedingly useful in combat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hamnet was interested in the sciences; after school, he was almost always buried in a book about physics. Hamnet was different from the rest of his family in the sense that he was only gifted with one power, but it was a strong one nonetheless. He was an illusionist; he was capable of learning the fears of an enemy and creating illusions to specifically weaken them. As well as creating illusions specifically to induce fear, Hamnet was additionally adept at creating illusions of positive things. Whenever his twin encountered something one of her fears, Hamnet rushed to Judith’s side and concocted an image of kittens until her fears were dealt with.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All in all, the Shakespeares were an odd family, but a happy one nonetheless. Teamed up, they were a stupendously efficient team, and it was likely that they could conquer any issue if they were all dealing with it together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a wonderful spring’s day when Anne spotted a young, brown-haired boy with lonely, wandering eyes as she was walking back to the house. There was a shining dagger in the belt of his jeans, and his jacket was decorated with roses on the sleeves, while the back panel was a bedazzled heart with a replica dagger piercing through the shape of the heart. As his eyes met with Anne’s, he smiled sadly, as if he was looking for something. Anne didn’t know what he was looking for, but there was a longing in his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay?” Anne called out. The boy nodded, but the motherly instinct in Anne’s gut — especially based on her own experiences as a child — told her that the boy was lying. Taking her time, she approached the boy, not wanting to scare him off. He looked frightened, as if he was waiting for someone to come and scold him for something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine,” said the boy. “I just don’t know this town all too well, but I’m sure I’ll work everything out in due course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure?” asked Anne. “It’s supposed to be really cold tonight, and I doubt you have a safe place to stay. Plus, you look like you haven’t eaten something in weeks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll work something out. I always do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even through the boy’s protests, something felt off in the air. Anne was half-tempted to use her powers to entice the boy into staying at the house, at least for the night — but that felt wrong. The boy looked so pained, and was clearly lying through his teeth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I like your jacket,” started Anne. “These flowers on your arms are beautiful. And don’t get me started on how intricate the back panel is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” said the boy in a soft tone. “I designed it myself. It was a lot of effort, but I’m so glad I decided to set myself the challenge. It’s possibly the best thing I’ll ever have.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You </span>
  <em>
    <span>made </span>
  </em>
  <span>this?” Anne echoed, raising an eyebrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I bought the jacket, but I modified it, yeah,” he continued. After a pregnant pause, he looked up at Anne and smiled with a little more genuinity, but Anne could still see the heartbreak behind his dazzling brown eyes. “My name’s Romeo.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s lovely to meet you, Romeo. I’m Anne.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two of them sat there on the bench for about half an hour, if not longer, until Anne’s phone buzzed audibly in her pocket. Romeo’s eyes widened with sadness as Anne stopped the conversation and pulled out her phone, seeing a text from Will. </span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Are you alright? Thought you’d be back by now. Let me know you’re safe x</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne sighed and looked at Romeo. “Sorry, that was my husband, William,” she explained. “He’s particularly overprotective of me, but I don’t really mind. We’ve known each other since childhood, and there was a period of time in which we didn’t speak because of circumstances.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I get that,” sighed Romeo. “I don’t like to talk to my dad. He’s not the best parent, to say the least. No matter how hard he tries to be a supportive dad, it’s never enough. I know there’s nothing behind his words. It’s why I did this jacket. He’s always insisted upon me being the strong, working man, but I’m not like that. This jacket is a sort of rebellion against him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it alright if I ask how old you are?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve just turned seventeen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne smiled. “My oldest is almost sixteen,” she started. “Her name’s Susanna. I think you two would get along well -- really well, actually. I see a lot of her spirit in you, Romeo. She’s a bit chaotic and mischievous, but she’s such a smart girl.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How many kids have you got?” </span>
  <em>
    <span>You look awfully young for your oldest kid to be sixteen, </span>
  </em>
  <span>thought Romeo, but he didn’t say it. There was nothing evil about Anne -- if there was, he would’ve sensed it. She was such a kind, wonderful, sweet soul.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Three. As well as Susanna, there’s Judith and Hamnet. They’re twins, but they couldn’t be any more different if they tried,” laughed Anne. “Judith’s a big bookworm, but she adores fantasy, while Hamnet’s more interested in physics. Sure, they’re twins, but they’re independently themselves even when they’re with their other half.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Individuality is great, especially when you’re a twin.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne nodded, and quickly texted Will back.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>I’m alright, love. I’m only a few minutes away from the house, so there’s no need to worry. Just talking to a nice young boy -- his name’s Romeo. He looks really lonely, but he reminds me a lot of Susanna. I know it’s a lot to ask, but I don’t think he has a place to stay tonight; do you think we could put him up for at least a night or two? </em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>A few more minutes of harmless chatter continued before Will texted Anne back.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Okay, good to know you’re safe. If he definitely doesn’t have a place to stay, and he’s alone, I don’t see why we can’t put him up for a few nights. We’ve got the room for him, anyway. If he’s human, it’ll be a bit of work explaining the lack of perishables in the house, but I’m sure we’ll get around that somehow. </em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry to pry about this again, Romeo, but do you have a place to stay? We’ve got two spare bedrooms if you need a place to stay for a few nights,” explained Anne. Romeo’s eyes widened with happiness, almost as if Anne had just told him that he was the sole heir of a grand estate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You wouldn’t mind?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not at all, no! Besides, the kids would really love to make a new friend.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d love to stay with you if you’re sure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne introduced Romeo to Will &amp; the kids with a bright, kind smile, informing them that they’d have a guest for at least a few days. Susanna was extremely excited to have a new friend, especially one who wasn’t all too older than her; she was incredibly insistent on tackling Romeo with a surprisingly great form, almost strangling him as she hugged him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Susanna, </span>
  <em>
    <span>please </span>
  </em>
  <span>don’t strangle our guest,” groaned Anne.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry!” apologised Susanna hastily as she climbed off a shocked Romeo and offered him a hand, swiftly and immediately pulling him to his feet. “Sometimes I don’t know my own strength. It’s great to meet you! I probably should’ve started with that before I tackled you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry about it,” laughed Romeo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Judith hugged Romeo in a softer, calmer way, taking note of the way Susanna practically knocked all of the air out of Romeo’s lungs with her strength. Hamnet offered a wonderful handshake before he buried himself back into a fat book about physics. Anne’s children were as wonderful as she’d described them to be; it was almost picturesque as Romeo settled on the sofa next to Susanna, who was bundled in an extremely fluffy grey blanket.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, Romeo,” started Will, wrapping an arm around Anne with a kind smile. “Whereabouts are you from? I can’t really pinpoint your accent.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, well, um… I was born in Verona,” explained Romeo. “It’s a city in Northern Italy. Since then, I’ve been all over the world. I’ve not particularly had a home for a while, really; it’s been about three months of just wandering the streets of the city I find myself, in and I go from there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anne told me you had some troubles with your dad,” continued Will. “You don’t have to elaborate if you don’t want to, but if you ever need to talk to someone, we’re both here for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>That night, when Romeo crawled into his surprisingly plush bed, his head was rolling. Anne, Will and the kids were so surprisingly kind and supportive of the strange brown-eyed boy with the dazzling jacket who had entered their lives so suddenly, and it was strange. Thinking back to the months he’d been with his father, happiness and kindness were the very last things he encountered when he was with his father.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Romeo felt inclined to tell Anne and Will at some point. They would probably banish him from the property if he told them about his father, considering the blood that was running through his veins, but Romeo’s father was a dark cloud hanging over his head that was threatening to burst at any point.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Romeo reached for his phone and opened the Notes app, scrolling through the excessive notes about his three months of endless walking. Before he left, his father had said one thing that was always going to stick in his mind, no matter what he did to push the memories away.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>If you leave now, you will be doomed to walk Earth for the rest of your miserable, outcast life. If you stay, your powers will be limitless. One day, you will reign, but you will not reign if you leave this place, son.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>His father’s words would always remain with him. Worry was taking over Romeo. He reached out for his phone; without caring about the time, he sent his first message to Anne.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Will said earlier that if I ever needed to talk to you two about anything, I could. I need to tell you a few things tomorrow. </em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>Only a few minutes later, Anne texted back.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Of course! If you don’t want the kids to know, don’t worry. We’ll send them out into town for a few hours. </em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>Romeo sighed. He was so relieved by the kindness of Anne, Will, and the kids. Anne was right; Romeo and Susanna were practically like two peas in a pod. Susanna’s chaotic, mischievous spirit almost immediately distracted Romeo from everything that was trapped in his head. Judith and Hamnet wer great, too. Judith was bubbly and loved reading fantasy and science-fiction novels, particularly interested in vampires. She seemed to almost be devoted to studying vampires.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vampires were real, Romeo knew that much — but the kind-hearted Shakespeare family didn’t seem like vampires. Maybe Judith was just an eager fantasy lover, and didn’t think — or know — that vampires were indeed real. To be fair, they weren’t all too threatening, either; their powers were often aggressive and almost impossible to control, but Romeo hadn’t once been threatened by a vampire. To be fair, it wasn’t like his aura was threatening, either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vampires could eat perishables. Perishable food didn’t provide all too much nourishment for vampires, but it didn’t hurt them to eat perishables, either. The sunlight didn’t burn them alive. Vampires were gifted with strange powers that were sometimes uncontrollable, but if the Shakespeares </span>
  <em>
    <span>were </span>
  </em>
  <span>all vampires, they all had excellent control of their abilities.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe Romeo was overthinking things. Maybe it was just the way his brain was wired. His father was always so critical of the way his brain worked, but nothing changed the way Romeo thought about things. Despite how much his father said otherwise, Romeo was intelligent, and surprisingly so, but maybe he was just overthinking what he’d seen. Judith was probably just a thirteen-year-old who loved reading fantasy books, and there was nothing to be worried about even when she was reading a thick book about vampires.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Romeo liked Hamnet. He was quiet compared to his sisters, but he was a keen, wide-eyed physics fanatic. When he wasn’t buried in a book, he was in the kitchen with Anne, helping her with the cooking. He was kind and friendly despite his stature — he was already tall for his age, definitely getting his long legs from Will, who was like a tree compared to Anne.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were such a kind, loving family. It just felt wrong to keep such big secrets from them when he was being looked after by such kindhearted people.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“What did you want to talk about, Romeo?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Romeo sighed. “A lot of things, really,” he started. “It feels wrong being here and knowing so much about you all when you guys barely know anything about me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To be fair, you don’t know much about us, either,” said Will, almost as if he was ready to say something, too. “I gather you’ve developed first impressions of us, but we’re not exactly a normal family.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My family wasn’t exactly normal, either,” continued Romeo, tapping his leg. “My dad isn’t the most conventional father in the world. I don’t know how else to say this, but — well, he’s a demon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne’s bright eyes widened, as did Will’s. Will’s brows furrowed as he glanced over to Anne, swiftly taking her small hand under the table. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s nothing to worry about,” insisted Romeo, even though he wasn’t all too sure he believed what he was saying as he said it. “My mother was a human, which makes me a half-demon. My dad is a manipulative, power-hungry piece of shit. He forced me to spend months with him in Hell, and he tried to change me, but it didn’t work. I have powers that I don’t exactly know how to control, but my blood doesn’t make me dangerous.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will exhaled, even though he didn’t need to breathe. It was a touchy subject to discuss — by all technicalities, they were housing the son of a demon, but Romeo wasn’t threatening in the slightest; and if he was, he was brilliant at covering it up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before either of them knew it, Anne’s arm was outstretched across the table, reaching for Romeo’s hand. “I can’t say I’m not surprised, because I’d be lying,” managed Anne, “but I don’t see a problem with it. You’re a half-demon, that’s true, but you’re still a half-human, too. Your father’s blood doesn’t define you, </span>
  <em>
    <span>especially</span>
  </em>
  <span> if he’s no good to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne squeezed Romeo’s hand in a supportive manner, and Romeo couldn’t help himself but smile. He glanced at Will, whose mild concern had washed away as if it’d never been there in the first place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Honestly, if you hadn’t told us you were a half-demon, I wouldn’t have guessed it,” sighed Will. “As I previously said, we’re not a normal family, either. Myself and Anne were attacked by vampires when we were children — we were Turned; in turn, the kids are vampires, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Romeo’s mouth widened with surprise. So he </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>right; the Shakespeares were the perfect family, but they were the perfect vampire family.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re an oddball family to say the least,” laughed Anne, “but we love each other all the same. The kids are in complete control of their abilities, even though they can be quite daunting at times. I can’t say that having you in the house is much of a change to our regular routine either.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for being so understanding,” managed Romeo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not a problem, kiddo,” said Will. “Honestly, I think it’s quite good timing that Anne saw you when she did.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne smiled at her husband, who smiled back. She knew what Will was thinking — any other family would be mortified if they discovered they were housing the son of a demon. What mattered, though, was the fact that Romeo was in a safe, comfortable place, and was being looked after by a brilliantly kind family.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Just as life was on an uphill climb for the half-demon, half-human Romeo Montague, life comes crashing down again -- and not just for Romeo, but for everyone in the Shakespeare family.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter includes the death of a character.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Six months passed since Anne welcomed Romeo into the Shakespeares’ spacious family home, and life in the household was completely normal. Romeo and Susanna were causing chaos in the best ways possible, having fun in the back garden and cautiously using their powers on each other. Even though Susanna was almost certainly Romeo’s closest friend, he had a lot of love for Judith and Hamnet, too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The twins were brilliantly smart. It wasn’t unusual for Judith, Hamnet and Romeo to stay up late watching reruns of programmes like Mastermind, shouting out the answers and inevitably waking the others up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Romeo had managed to acquire a job in a coffee shop, which granted him some independence, as he was getting a steady income from the job in the coffee shop. He loved meeting people from all different walks of life; the coffee shop was in the heart of Stratford’s wonderfully quaint town centre.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One fine evening, where autumn was just about transitioning into winter, Romeo was walking back to the house when he noticed the loud clacking of someone’s shoes behind him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Someone was following him, and they were exceedingly close to him. Romeo reached for the dagger in his belt — even though Romeo despised his father beyond reason, the dagger was an effective weapon if he ever needed to use it. His hand wrapped around the handle of his dagger; spinning around, he grabbed the person following him and pushed the tip of his dagger to the individual’s throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Surprisingly, a wicked laugh arose from the individual. Romeo’s eyes widened, and he stopped in his tracks. He recognised every chilling bit of that laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s quite an interesting way to greet your father, son,” laughed Romeo’s father.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the fuck are you doing here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nice to see you too, Romeo,” purred Leviathan, running his nimble, golden fingers through his distinct purple hair. “I just wanted to check on my boy, if that’s alright with you. It’s been nine months since we last spoke, after all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And why do you think that is?” spat Romeo. Venom was laced in his throat — he hadn’t been so angry in months. All of the repressed memories of his father were emerging. “I don’t want you near me, Leviathan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, son. Don’t you think I feel bad about how we left things? Just — just give your old man another chance, won’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>No! </span>
  </em>
  <span>How many fucking times do I have to tell you that I don’t want to associate myself with you? Or that place?” snapped Romeo. He was angry, livid. He was shaking with anger, absolutely raging. It wouldn’t be all too long until he snapped and his powers rushed out of him if his dad kept going with the trickery and bullshit. “Why can’t you get that I don’t want you near me, Dad? You ruined my life for years.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leviathan sighed, and balanced himself on the wall near to where Romeo was standing. Romeo’s hands were tingling with numbness -- his powers were on the brink of rushing out. If he struck Leviathan, it would basically be a death sentence; his father was a dangerous weapon. Leviathan was the personification of envy, and that was probably why he was there. He likely knew that Romeo was being looked after by Anne and Will, and he was probably envious of the relationship that had brewed between Romeo, Anne, Will and the kids.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It calls to you, doesn’t it?” whispered Leviathan. Even though he was about seven feet away, his voice was worming right into Romeo’s ears, tempting him with his demonic, wicked charm. “You will reign one day, Romeo, whether you like it or not. Your blood binds you to Hell.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just leave me alone!” Romeo’s voice was filled with desperation; without realising it, the desperation, fury and pure hatred in his voice had unleashed one of his powers. The world around Romeo and his father was surrounded by black smoke. Romeo’s eyes widened as he realised what had happened, and, without another word, he sprinted off towards the Shakespeares’ house, his chest heaving up and down rapidly with true fear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t know what would happen next; whatever it was, it wouldn’t be good for him, or the people he cared about, either.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“Are you alright, Romeo?” asked Anne, sitting down on the sofa next to Romeo, noticing the damaged, terrified look on his face. Anne was a wise motherly figure, and was always the first to notice when either Romeo or the kids -- or even Will -- was having a hard time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Romeo shrugged. “I, um… not really, no,” started Romeo. He wasn’t going to tell Anne that he ran into his father on the way home; he couldn’t tell her that, because he was sure that Anne wouldn’t react all too well considering how much of a negative portrait Romeo had painted of his father. “My father has this ability to come to his children in our sleep -- he does it if we’re dreaming and he wants to talk to us, and he did it to me last night.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit,” Anne whispered, taking Romeo’s hand. “He doesn’t do it a lot, does he? Is it anything we need to be concerned about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hopefully not. It’s been nine months since I last saw him, and he was trying to force me into giving him another chance, but I wasn’t having it. I don’t know what’s going to happen from here, but it’s very possible he knows I’m staying with you,” explained Romeo. “I don’t want to burden you guys with the thought of my father coming here, so -- if you want me to leave, I’ll leave. I just don’t want him to find me and hurt you all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, you’re staying right here.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Romeo smiled, but it was a poor attempt at a smile. “My father’s a Prince of Hell, Anne. He represents envy. I’m sure you already know it’s a deadly sin, but if my father’s pissed off, he unleashes everything he has. I don’t want any of you to get hurt because of the blood that runs through my veins.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did I ever tell you about the powers that we all have?” asked Anne. Romeo furrowed his brows, thinking back to the six months he’d spent with the Shakespeares; not once had Anne, Will or the kids mentioned their powers. “Combined, we can deal with anything. I can shapeshift, and control minds. Will is pyrokinetic and can read minds. Susanna has telekinesis, and she can control the air around her. Judith can tear through anything with her sonic scream; plus, she’s an excellent swordswoman. Hamnet’s only got one power, but it’s formidable -- he’s an illusionist, which means he can create images that weaken his enemies.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thinking about it, Anne was right. If his father ever showed up at the Shakespeares’ house in a fit of envy, there was a solid chance that, together, they’d be able to defeat him and send him straight back to his awful dimension of Hell. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You see? You’ll be alright, Romeo. I promise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne wrapped her arms around Romeo, giving him a tight, motherly squeeze. Romeo choked up into Anne’s shoulder as they maintained their hug -- his mother had died in childbirth, so he didn’t know what it was like to have a mother, and Anne was the best mother to her kids. She was so incredibly loving and selfless.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Weeks passed since Romeo had encountered his father, and life had returned to normal. In the crisp heights of the winter, the six of them didn’t go out all too much, but Judith and Hamnet often went into the heart of the town together, scavenging every single bookshop for new books. One day, as Christmas was approaching, Judith invited Romeo to join them, as Romeo had expressed that he still needed to buy presents for everybody.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Romeo was particularly insistent upon treating Anne, Will and the kids. They had all done so much for him, and it was the least he could do. He hadn’t really celebrated Christmas properly in his seventeen years, and Anne was a big fan of Christmas, taking hours to decorate the tree with the help of the family.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You haven’t given anyone a list yet, Romeo,” noted Hamnet as they were walking back from the town centre, carrying bags upon bags of books and secret presents stuffed under tissue paper. “Mum is the biggest Christmas fan I’ll ever know. In the next few days, she’ll be waking you up, demanding for your wishlist.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Trust me, she will,” Judith added, laughing to herself. “That actually happened about three years ago. I forgot to write a wishlist, and Mum woke me up by yelling about presents, then proceeded to send me about thirty texts in quick succession asking for my wishlist.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Romeo laughed. “I think I’ve not given anyone my wishlist yet because I’m not expecting much,” he said, sighing. “I mean, really, just being so close with you all is enough of a gift. Materialistic things are nice, of course, but I couldn’t ask for a better gift than you all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“God, you’re an emotional sap,” snorted Hamnet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He means well,” insisted Judith. “You know what he’s like, Romeo; always buried in his books.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re no better!” said Hamnet, defending himself. “I read about practical things! Reading fantasy-romance novels won’t get you into a top university, Judith.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut it, Four-Eyes!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t unusual for Judith and Hamnet to bicker, but it was all jovial and from a good place. Walking alongside the twins, Romeo knew they were just siblings -- best friends -- finding time in their lives to crack jokes that were harmless, at the end of the day. Neither of them actively went out of their way to emotionally wound their counterpart. Romeo admired how much they loved each other through everything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just as the three of them were approaching the house, Judith’s head snapped up. Accompanying her ability to pierce the sound barriers with her scream was enhanced hearing; she could hear someone from miles away, which was exceptionally brilliant paired with her piercing, terrifying scream.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You okay, Judith?” asked Hamnet, putting his bags down and walking over to his twin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought I heard something,” whispered Judith. “Stay quiet. Stick to the walls. I’ll scream for Mum and Dad if things get serious.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Romeo’s eyebrows furrowed with concern, but he obliged; suddenly, there was a firmness to Judith’s voice, one that he hadn’t heard since meeting her. She was usually bubbly and energetic -- now, she was stern and poised for an attack. He turned his head to the right, and squinted. Unless his eyes were deceiving him, he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>sure </span>
  </em>
  <span>he could see someone running towards them with a barrage of dust behind them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get down!” yelled Hamnet, ducking in front of Judith, his eyes stretched with fear. Romeo’s heart was pounding as he slammed into the ground, feeling useless even as his fingertips were humming with warmth. He heard bickering as the figure approached, likely between the twins. Romeo’s fingers were almost buzzing with energy by the time that the finger’s loud, persistent running was only a few metres away. He was ready to attack, prepared to defend the twins, when--</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A loud, primal, high-pitched scream pierced the air. Judith was screaming, and Anne hadn’t been lying; her scream was terrifyingly loud, and it was so painful to hear. Something had happened to make her scream. Even though his ears were ringing with sheer pain, Romeo got onto his feet, but felt sick when he saw the cause of Judith’s screaming.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a gargantuan stake running through Hamnet’s chest, pierced right through his heart and pinning him to the ground. Judith was crying -- her screams had diminished, but her crying was still painfully loud. Romeo sprinted over to Hamnet, grabbing his right hand and pressing a firm hand to his bloody chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As a vampire, Hamnet was already pale, but it was nothing compared to his face, which was unimaginably white. “Hamnet, look at me,” Romeo begged, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. “You’re going to be fine, okay? We’ll get you through this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You -- you can’t,” managed Hamnet, coughing up a spurt of blood. “Stakes are fatal. You can’t save me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can,” promised Romeo. “I will. I’m not letting you go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Behind him, the door to the house opened. Anne and Will rushed over to their son, terrified. Susanna was close behind, but didn’t approach Hamnet; instead, she dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around Judith, who was shaking with terror, tears falling continually down her cheeks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Romeo, can you do something?” asked Will, plain desperation in his voice. “Please tell me you can do something. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Anything. </span>
  </em>
  <span>I can’t let him go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m trying,” Romeo whispered. No matter how much energy Romeo pushed into Hamnet, it wasn’t enough. The stake was too much; his body was burning the healing energy away, and nothing could be done. “He’s not taking the healing energy. The stake’s gone through him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happens if you pull it out?” Anne’s voice was terrified, just like everyone else’s.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It won’t help,” managed Romeo, tears rolling. “It’ll only make it more painful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please,” begged Anne. “Please try and save him, Romeo.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Romeo was sobbing, just like everyone else. It was too late. By the time that Romeo wrapped his hand around the stake, there was nothing left in Hamnet’s beautiful blue eyes. He was already gone. The life in his eyes was gone, and there was nothing Romeo could do to save him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It felt like how he imagined the stake through the heart felt -- so indescribably painful. Anne collapsed against Will’s shoulder in tears, and Will cried with her, stroking her ginger hair as they remained with Hamnet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hamnet was gone. Romeo was an inconsolable mess, just as Judith was, but he didn’t know Hamnet as much as Judith did. Romeo was covered in blood, uncaring as he pressed his hands against his eyes, crying audibly. He’d saved so many people before -- </span>
  <em>
    <span>why </span>
  </em>
  <span>couldn’t he do it for Hamnet? Hamnet, who mattered so much. He was the glue of the family, and Romeo hadn’t been able to save him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the sadness left Romeo, fury replaced it. He wasn’t shaking from sadness anymore -- it was sheer anger and resentment that was causing Romeo to shake. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knew </span>
  <em>
    <span>exactly </span>
  </em>
  <span>who had killed Hamnet, and he wasn’t going to rest until he got justice.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Everything changes after Hamnet is killed by an unknown assailant.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is the longest chapter thus far, and is packed with angst, sadness and a very angry Romeo.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Everyone was a wreck, naturally. Not a single one of them knew how to deal with Hamnet’s body, nor did any of them want to. Anne was trembling and crying when they walked back into the house after Romeo blasted an invisibility boost over Hamnet’s body. Judith was silently sobbing into Susanna’s chest, while Will was crying into Anne’s hair. Romeo was numb; emotionally and physically, he felt drained. He felt so hopeless. As he looked down at his blood-stained hands, he shuddered and wandered into the kitchen, scrubbing at his hands for thirty minutes until they were sore, wrinkled and bleeding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Romeo, stop,” whispered Will. “It’s not your fault.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Romeo hadn’t noticed that he was crying again, nor had he heard Will walking into the kitchen. He jumped softly as Will wrapped an arm around Romeo’s shoulders; without another word, he pulled the brown-haired boy into a tight hug that lasted for minutes, almost as if Will wasn’t ever ready to let go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” managed Romeo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After about five minutes, Will passed Romeo a glass of water before they headed into the living room. Judith was covered in blankets, trembling, while Susanna was comforting her younger sister. Anne was silently sobbing into her hands; every few seconds, her body jerked as another silent tear fell. Will settled on the sofa next to his distraught wife, while Romeo settled on the sofa where he often sat next to Hamnet,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t for a while until Will mustered up the courage to talk, glancing between Judith and Romeo before his gaze finally settled on Romeo. “What happened?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We were outside of the house when Judith noticed something,” started Romeo, balling his hands up and shoving them into the pockets of his jeans. “It was the sound of someone running towards us. She told us to stay quiet &amp; stick to the walls, but… Hamnet didn’t. He ran forward and got in front of Judith. By the time Judith was screaming, Hamnet was down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you see who it was?” continued Will. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” managed Romeo. “I got up, and the person was already gone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They moved like a shadow,” whispered Judith. “Their face was covered. There was a trail of something behind them, but it wasn’t dust -- it was a purple shadow, almost. It moved like dust, but it wasn’t dust. I didn’t want Hammy or Romeo to get hurt, so I moved to fight it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was nothing after that. Judith slumped back into Susanna’s lap, and Anne stayed curled up against Will, her eyes glassed over with trauma. Even though Judith was clueless about the identity of Hamnet’s killer, Romeo wasn’t. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knew with extreme confidence that his father had killed Hamnet, and Romeo was </span>
  <em>
    <span>sure </span>
  </em>
  <span>his father was going to pay with his life for the loss of Hamnet. He was just a kid -- a sweet, intelligent, quiet boy with a love for science. He didn’t deserve to be dead. Hamnet was dead, and Romeo couldn’t forgive himself for unconsciously causing Hamnet’s death.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Susanna practically carried Judith to their room, while Anne begrudgingly walked upstairs to the bathroom, having a scalding hot shower before she got into bed, crying into her pillows. Will and Romeo remained in the living room, where an awkward silence ensued between the two. Will looked over to Romeo, and there was a painful feeling in the beds of Romeo’s guts as he noticed the sheer heartbreak in Will’s eyes. All of his emotions had been bottled up for the sake of the kids, and Romeo was sure that they’d spill.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know why someone decided to do this,” muttered Will, putting his head in his hands. “Hamnet was the best son I could’ve asked for, Romeo. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know he wouldn’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He was so apprehensive against using his powers, too, because he didn’t want to hurt anyone. Some people would’ve called him weak for that, but he was such a good kid,” continued Will. “Whoever killed Hamnet -- they’ll pay with their life. I don’t care what it takes. Someone will pay for doing this.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>By the time everyone was asleep, Romeo was wearing a fresh set of clothes; he was wearing the most rebellious, anti-Leviathan things he could fathom. Along with his usual bedazzled jacket, he was wearing an unbuttoned pink shirt, a grey vest and strangely patterned jeans. He grabbed his backpack and tossed it over his shoulders; before leaving, he tucked his dagger into the belt of his jeans.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sweeping a nimble, trembling hand through his thick brown hair, Romeo inhaled sharply. Rubbing his hands together, he focused all of his energy into his hands and summoned the glowing purple portal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Purple was his father’s signature colour, and it haunted Romeo whenever he used the powers he’d inherited from Leviathan. Slowly but surely, Romeo peeked through the portal, seeing Leviathan sitting in a grand library, reading a book that he likely had no interest in. Romeo was </span>
  <em>
    <span>sure </span>
  </em>
  <span>that his father was waiting for him, hence why he was so casual.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Enraged by his father’s actions, Romeo stepped through, emerging in the very same library where Leviathan was perched on the arm of a decadent leather sofa. A slight chuckle left Leviathan’s lips as the portal closed behind Romeo, essentially trapping him in the same room as his father.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good to see you again, son,” purred Leviathan. “Starting to reconsider your actions, then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why did you do it?” snapped Romeo, getting straight to the point. His father’s brows furrowed, but Romeo knew it was another one of his elaborate plots. Leviathan was a devious bastard, and liked to play games with his several children.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do what, Romeo?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tell me why you killed Hamnet,” demanded Romeo, stalking over towards Leviathan, his hand wrapped around the base of his dagger. “Don’t play those stupid fucking games with me, Leviathan. I’m not here to piss around.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Watch your mouth, Romeo.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quite frankly, I don’t care. You killed my friend. If you have issues with me, you settle them with me — you don’t kill my friends when you have an issue with me,” hissed Romeo. There was ice and venom in his voice; his aura was dangerously dark. “You had no right to do that when Hamnet did nothing to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was aiming for the girl,” admitted Leviathan, smirking. “Clearly, the death of the boy has affected you more than I thought it would. Still, he was a threat. Lingering with vampires isn’t good for you, son. I needed to send you a message.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“By killing my friend?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If that’s what it takes,” said Leviathan, ridiculously nonchalant; he shrugged, as if Hamnet’s death was nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not what normal parents do!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know that I’m not a normal parent, Romeo. My methods aren’t very conventional,” sighed Leviathan. “You’re my strongest weapon, and I needed you to know that you will not defy me without severe consequences.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have so many more children to bother. Why me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t understand this, but you have a great advantage over your half-siblings,” continued Leviathan. “You have one foot in the human world, and one foot in Hell. You’re the strongest child I have — thus, you’re the strongest weapon I have. You and I — we’ll reign Hell together, Romeo, and you need to understand that fooling around with vampires won’t get you anywhere.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you only care about me because I’m your best </span>
  <em>
    <span>weapon</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” snapped Romeo. “You killed Hamnet because you want me to reign Hell with you? Everything you do makes me hate you even more, Dad. I promise you that I will </span>
  <em>
    <span>never </span>
  </em>
  <span>reign Hell with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you continue to defy me like this, Romeo, you will regret it. Watch your mouth before you say another word.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you even </span>
  <em>
    <span>think </span>
  </em>
  <span>about hurting anyone I love again, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>will </span>
  </em>
  <span>kill you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leviathan’s purple eyes narrowed as the portal reopened behind Romeo, processing every single word that had just escaped Romeo’s lips. “Remember what you just said, son,” growled Leviathan. “You’re going to regret it.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>That night, Romeo couldn’t sleep. It was his fault. Everything was his fault. He was probably going to get Susanna and Judith killed, too — if Leviathan wanted to kill Judith for her power, it was probable that he’d try again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was terrified of the blood running through his veins. He controlled his powers, but there was no telling that he’d be able to control his father.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe Leviathan was right, and he belonged in Hell, ruling beside his father. It made sense, anyway — after all, being with his father was the safest bet considering everything. He didn’t want to be the direct cause of any other deaths.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t sleep that night. Every time Romeo closed his eyes, he saw the enormous stake pierced through Hamnet’s chest. He could still hear Judith’s terrified screams, and he could feel Will’s arms wrapped around him supportively after he scrubbed and scrubbed the blood away from his hands. The whole ordeal was plaguing him, and Romeo felt so atrocious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was all his fault; regardless of what Anne and Will said, it was his doing. He hadn’t slammed the stake through Hamnet’s heart, but it was his fault. If he hadn’t been so aggressive with his father, Hamnet would still be alive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Romeo buried his face into his pillow, and was shortly asleep, his dreams plagued with the horrific images of the day.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Anne was still a wreck when she woke up that morning, curled around Will, having barely moved since he got into bed. She was just completely and utterly numb.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She thought she’d never have to see one of her children die. She didn’t ever think she’d have to watch the light flicker out of Hamnet’s beautiful eyes. She couldn’t get the image of her son’s limp body out of her head — it was horrific, and she just wanted to forget everything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The house felt so empty as Anne got up and walked past Hamnet’s room; the door to his room was ajar, and it broke Anne’s heart as she peered into his room, expecting to see him asleep under the blankets. Of course, he wasn’t there — he was still outside, covered up by a temporary invisibility charm that Romeo forced out of his hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was so broken. Anne felt hollow as she stepped into the shower, trying to keep herself afloat despite the images of Hamnet’s body sinking into her memory. She didn’t know if she could use her mind control abilities on herself, but she was willing to give it a try if it meant the images of her son’s limp body would disappear forever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took Anne a long time to get dressed, deciding to wear a long black dress. Black was the traditional colour of mourning, and there was no happiness in Anne’s heart as she went downstairs, looking at her surroundings.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything reminded her of Hamnet. There was a massive textbook sitting on the coffee table, marked by a bookmark that Judith bought for Hamnet, and there was a surplus amount of books in one of Hamnet’s bags, placed by the decked-out Christmas tree. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne felt sick. She didn’t know what she was going to do — how could she go on with her life without Hamnet? Her boy, her only boy… he was gone, and there was nothing she could do about it. Parents were supposed to protect their kids for their whole life, and Anne had failed as a parent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She settled on the sofa, feeling uncomfortable with the silence in the house. Anne stayed on her sofa for twenty minutes, almost completely unmoving, her eyes fixated on the wall in front of her until she heard slow, casual footsteps. She glanced over to the stairs to see Romeo casually walking downstairs, hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was the most formal she’d ever seen him — he was usually one to be decked out in colour, but he was wearing all black, just like Anne. Even though Romeo wasn’t technically a part of the family, he was mourning Hamnet, too. It was weird to see Romeo without a smile on his face, but it would be inappropriate to smile when they both knew what had happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you alright?” asked Romeo, sitting down on the sofa next to Anne. “It’s a stupid question, and I probably already know the answer, don’t I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just feel numb,” sighed Anne. “Completely and utterly numb. I don’t know what to do, Romeo.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think any of us do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne pursed her lips. Judith had mentioned something about purple dust, and Anne had noticed a purple-ish glow spawning from Romeo’s hands when he covered Hamnet’s body with an invisibility charm. It was probably a coincidence — plus, there was nothing to say that the purple was the same colour, anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It doesn’t feel right to celebrate Christmas anymore, you know?” Anne’s voice was soft and packed with emotion. “Christmas is something you do with family, and — now he’s not here, it doesn’t feel right at all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know it doesn’t,” said Romeo, feeling useless. The words that escaped him were weightless, and skipped over Anne’s head. “I promise that the person who did this — they’ll suffer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne looked up, taken aback by the sudden harshness behind Romeo’s words. They mimicked what Will had said to Romeo, too. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Whoever killed Hamnet — they’ll pay with their life. I don’t care what it takes. Someone will pay for doing this.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>It was almost as if Will’s words had resonated within Romeo, likely because he had tried his very hardest to save Hamnet, even though Hamnet knew that a stake through the heart was fatal. The person who killed Hamnet knew that he was a vampire, and didn’t care about the heartache they were leaving behind by killing him. It was a brutal, ruthless murder, and it wasn’t fair in the slightest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not fair,” whispered Anne. “Why? Hamnet didn’t do anything — he was so afraid to use his powers. He was such a good son. He didn’t deserve to die like that, Romeo.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Romeo couldn’t manage to say anything else. It felt far too inappropriate to tell Anne that his father was Hamnet’s killer, and his father had killed Hamnet because of what he’d done.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>It took a lot of time for Judith to finally get out of bed. She buried herself under her duvet and cried through the night, her head pounding when she passed out from exhaustion and sorrow. It was almost midday when she woke up, but it took almost two hours for her to muster up the smallest amount of energy to get out of bed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Judith didn’t say much that day. She missed her brother’s stupid jokes. She missed his bedhead; his hair was always ridiculously messy when he got up, and Judith would always laugh at the state of his hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now, she wasn’t all too sure she would ever laugh again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Judith got into the shower — instead of standing up and washing herself, she sat cross-legged in the shower and selfishly let the water run over her body until the hot water tank was empty, and shockingly cold water was hitting her skin. She didn’t care all too much. She was just completely and utterly numb to everything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her twin brother was gone. Her best friend wasn’t alive. Hamnet died defending Judith. It wasn’t fair. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It should’ve been me</span>
  </em>
  <span>, thought Judith, staring at herself with tears in her hazel eyes. Hamnet had practically tossed Judith away from the oncoming danger, when he knew that Judith could’ve handled it.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Why? Why did you do that, Hammy?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>But she’d never get an answer, of course. She wouldn’t ever see Hamnet’s goofy smile again, and she wouldn’t ever make stupid jokes about Hamnet’s need for glasses ever again. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I shouldn’t have wasted so much time just making jokes</span>
  </em>
  <span>, thought Judith, placing her head on the glass of the shower. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I should’ve spent more time making proper memories with him. Not cracking stupid, worthless jokes.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I shouldn’t have let him push me out of the way.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I should’ve been able to deal with it.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I should’ve taken the stake through the heart, not Hammy. It wasn’t meant for Hammy.</span>
  </em>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>To put it bluntly, Will was worried. He wasn’t worried about himself, no — he couldn’t care about himself in the slightest compared to Anne &amp; the kids. Anne was a tearful mess, and was burying herself in the kitchen, baking and using almost all of the practical ingredients in the cupboards. Judith wasn’t talking, really; she was completely silent whenever she showed her face, and went back upstairs after forty-five minutes of socialising, if that. Romeo looked angry, and Will couldn’t tell if he was angry at himself, the world or something else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will was admittedly very concerned for everyone in the house. Susanna was surprisingly calm about everything, really, but Will was sure that it was just a simple facade to try and keep spirits up. Everyone was wearing black; it was very clear that everyone was in mourning, and the heartbreak in the house was practically palpable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After dinner, where everybody was just staring at their food, Will pulled Romeo aside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you alright, Romeo?” asked Will. “I know we finished our conversation in a strange place last night, but you seem… well, angry, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine,” Romeo insisted, even though he was lying to himself. “I think the anger’s just come out of everything that happened, but I’ll be fine. Anne and Judith are the ones you need to worry about, not me. I promise I’ll be fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” sighed Will, giving up. If Romeo wouldn’t budge, he wouldn’t budge. He was pretty stubborn, a trait he’d apparently picked up from his father. “Just remember I’m here if you need to talk, okay? We’re all in the same boat right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know we are. I just want everyone to be alright, that’s all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So do I, kiddo. So do I.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>About twenty minutes after their little talk, Susanna’s phone pinged, indicating she had received a message. Out of everyone in the house, Susanna was the most level-headed of them all considering the recent events. The text was from Romeo; it was short and simple.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>We need to talk. I’ll be in my room whenever you’re ready.</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>Taking the text as something light, Susanna stood up, stretched and fake-yawned, announcing to Anne &amp; Will that she was going to bed. “See you guys in the morning,” sighed Susanna. “I love you guys so much.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Susanna knocked thrice on Romeo’s door, and he answered within seconds. In a hushed tone, he told Susanna to hurry up and come in; naturally, she obliged, a little worried by how gravelly and serious he sounded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s up?” asked Susanna, sitting on Romeo’s bed. Romeo was pacing around his room tapping his chin; his aura was spiking with anger and confusion, and Susanna was concerned. In the several months of knowing him, Susanna hadn’t ever seen Romeo in such a serious, composed state. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Romeo</span>
  </em>
  <span>. What’s up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need your help with something,” he said, leaning on his desk. “Before I say what it is, you </span>
  <em>
    <span>cannot </span>
  </em>
  <span>tell Anne, Will or Judith, okay? You have to promise me you won’t say anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay. I won’t tell anyone,” she promised. “Just… why are you asking </span>
  <em>
    <span>me </span>
  </em>
  <span>for help, Romeo? If this is a serious thing, you can tell Mum and Dad. I’m just a kid, Romeo. I know I’m a powerful one at that, but I’m just a kid nonetheless.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right now, I don’t think Anne and Will are the best options for this situation. You’re the smartest sixteen-year-old I know, Susanna. You’re powerful, too, and you’re extremely relaxed considering what happened yesterday,” sighed Romeo. Susanna shrugged, not saying all too much in response to Romeo’s statement. “You just can’t tell anyone yet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I won’t! What do you need my help with?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know who killed Hamnet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Silence filled the room. The air between the two was tense, so incredibly tense — and then, the world erupted for Susanna.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>What?!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lower your voice!” whispered Romeo in a semi-aggressive way, shushing Susanna like she was a loud, energetic child. “I know how it sounds, but I know who killed him, and I’m going to need your help. I want to kill him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How the </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck </span>
  </em>
  <span>do you know who killed Hamnet?” demanded Susanna, her eyes widened to their fullest extent. “You said you didn’t see the attacker’s face — that was true, wasn’t it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, it was!” insisted Romeo. “I figured it out quickly, okay? I worked it out from what I saw, and I got confirmation after I went to bed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t sneak out, did you? I would’ve heard you if you did.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Technically, I snuck out, yeah, but it wasn’t in a very conventional way,” continued Romeo, sitting on the bed next to Susanna. “I can summon portals. Having figured out who killed Hamnet, I went to see him, and I got confirmation.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why didn’t you go to the police?” Susanna’s head was swimming with questions, understandably so. She hadn’t thought that Romeo was going to talk about such a daunting subject when he texted her; she thought it was going to be a light-hearted chat about guys, not a serious discussion about Hamnet’s murderer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The police wouldn’t be all too helpful considering who Hamnet’s murderer is, Susanna,” explained Romeo. He stood up and started pacing around the room again, his face encapsulated with worry. “Please don’t hate me when I tell you who murdered him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why would I hate you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because my dad killed Hamnet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Silence fell between the two — seconds later, Susanna had yanked the dagger from the belt of Romeo’s jeans with her mind, and was holding it herself, as if she saw Romeo as a major threat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Think about what you just said, Romeo,” said Susanna, a threatening nature in her voice. “I know you asked me specifically </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>to hate you, but your father’s blood runs through your veins. Why should I trust you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because you know me,” whispered Romeo. “You’re my family. Anne, Will and Judith are my family. Hamnet was my family. I don’t claim my father as my family in the slightest respect. He’s a revolting person, and I would be extremely relieved if he was dead.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Romeo’s heart was pounding in his chest as Susanna grasped her friend’s dagger, before she relaxed and lowered the blade, dropping it onto Romeo’s bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” Susanna managed. “I shouldn’t have reacted like that. It was just an impulse thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know it was. It’s fine.” There was still tension in the air as Romeo walked towards Susanna again, gently picking his dagger up and slotting it back into the belt of his jeans. “You understand why I can’t tell your parents yet, right? I’d be dead in a heartbeat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” sighed Susanna. “What do you want me to do? I know why you told me, but what do you need me to do, Romeo?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to kill him. I’m going to kill Leviathan, and that’s why I need you. I need your help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I might have powers, Romeo, but how are my powers going to help in your mission to kill your own father? If he killed Hamnet, there’s nothing to say that he wouldn’t kill me, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know the severity of what I’m asking you to do,” whispered Romeo. “I don’t want you to get hurt. I don’t want to be the cause of anyone else’s deaths, but I can’t do this alone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you want me to do?”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Over the next week, Romeo’s room transformed from an organised bedroom into a messy planning room that was coincidentally occupied with a bed. In the evenings after Judith had gone to sleep, Susanna spent hours in Romeo’s room, sacrificing her sleep schedule and working on their plan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where do your powers stop, Romeo?” asked Susanna one night as they were planning their attack strategy. “We need to do this perfectly. Leviathan’s a Prince of Hell — if we slip up, we’re fucked.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know where they stop, really,” sighed Romeo. “My father’s blood is powerful. Even though I’m already powerful, I don’t know the limits of them. Leviathan insisted upon learning everything about my powers when I was in his dimension. That’s why attacking him in his dimension is so vital — my powers flourish when I’m there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I get that. Before we do this, we need to find out where your powers stop.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Susanna could say anything else, though, there was a soft knocking on Romeo’s door. Romeo jumped to his feet, panicked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Romeo? Is Susanna with you?” asked Anne through the thick wood of Romeo’s door. She sounded exhausted. </span>
  <em>
    <span>We probably woke her up, </span>
  </em>
  <span>thought Romeo. “She’s not in her room, and she should be asleep by now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Romeo turned to face Susanna, who shrugged, a little bewildered. She didn’t know what to do, and neither did Romeo. They didn’t want Anne to know about their plan, but if she came in, she’d find out anyway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m in here, Mum! Sorry,” said Susanna, jumping forwards and opening Romeo’s door, making sure that Anne wouldn’t see a single piece of the evidence they’d gathered on the walls. “I should’ve told you, but Romeo asked me to help him with something. We were just finishing up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure everything’s alright?” persisted Anne. “You look startled, that’s all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine, Mum,” sighed Susanna. “I was just surprised when you knocked on the door, that’s all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I come in, then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Susanna turned to face Romeo. All of the colour from his face that had previously been there was gone, and he looked panicked. He shook his head, even though there was no way that Anne was going to go back to bed without making sure they were both alright. If she came in, though, she’d know </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and their plan would be completely and utterly fucked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite Susanna’s protests, Anne entered Romeo’s room; her eyes widened with confusion and concern as she saw everything decorating the walls. The pages and pages of paper with partially decipherable scribbles, rough drawings of what Judith had described, details about everything that happened on that dreadful day -- it was all there, and Anne was taking it all in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anne turned to face Romeo, anger written across her face. It wasn’t right to be angry with Susanna, considering that the evidence was mostly thrown together by Romeo, but Anne had every right to be angry at Romeo. To her, it looked like Romeo was almost mocking Hamnet’s death; even though Anne knew he wasn’t, that’s what it looked like.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can explain,” started Romeo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was right, Anne. I might have twisted a few things, but I was right about my father. I knew he’d do something because of me,” continued Romeo, an apologetic, sorrow undertone in his voice. “I just didn’t think he was going to kill anyone. I was angry; as soon as Judith said that there was a purple dust-like trail behind the attacker, that’s when I knew. I confronted him, and he confirmed it. Leviathan killed Hamnet, and I’m going to kill him for doing that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a solid minute of silence, but it felt like years. Anne opened her mouth to speak, but words couldn’t come out. She couldn’t tell if she was angry, upset or hurt by everything that Romeo had said. He wasn’t lying -- there was so much truth behind his words, and Anne knew that his suspicions were completely valid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what does Susanna have to do with all of this, then?” managed Anne, raspiness in her voice; she was evidently trying to hold it all together, but there was no telling that it was working.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Romeo asked me to help, Mum. I’m angry, too, but you can’t blame Romeo for any of this. We’ve been planning this because I don’t think we have much of a choice,” added Susanna. “Even if Romeo doesn’t bother Leviathan anymore, there’s no telling that Leviathan won’t continue to wreak havoc for families around the world.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did either of you think about how fucked it would be if your plan failed?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ve already been planning for a week,” continued Susanna. “It’s not like we were planning to execute it tonight, Mum.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good,” said Anne. “Because you’re not doing it tonight, and you’re not doing it without me -- or Will, for that matter.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Romeo’s jaw dropped, surprised by what Anne was saying. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a stupid idea,” continued Anne, sitting down on Romeo’s bed. “Then again, it’s a stupid idea I’m behind. I’m sure Will won’t have any issues with it, either. When it comes to Judith lending a helping hand, I’m not all too sure -- it’s up to her, really. We need to create a plan that’s really going to work.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>After Anne discovered Romeo and Susanna’s plot to kill Leviathan, Anne and Will joined the two in their intense planning. Romeo was able to open portals, they discovered, so he’d be carrying everyone through to Leviathan’s dimension, where they were planning to take Leviathan down for good. While Romeo’s powers would be at their best in Leviathan’s dimension, so would Leviathan’s powers, so it would be a difficult fight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even so, it felt a little wrong to be planning everything without Judith. Her abilities were extremely proficient in battle -- as Romeo discovered, his father was almost completely disabled by her barrier-breaking scream. Her proficiency with a sword was brilliant, too, but no one had discussed the plan with Judith.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her brother’s death was plaguing Judith, understandably so, and Anne was worried. Judith’s life hadn’t really resumed at all since Hamnet’s unofficial funeral, which was a hurried, painful procedure. Judith was scarcely emerging from her room, only showering twice a week, if that, and hadn’t been eating all too much, either. It was clear that Hamnet’s death had killed a part of Judith, too -- losing anyone was hard, but none of them knew the pain of losing a twin. Hamnet and Judith were inseparable; if two people could be the very definition of best friends, they would be the defintion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One night, Susanna turned onto her left side, only to see Judith looking directly at her despite the darkness in the room. Judith had excellent night vision, like all vampires; when her eyes met with Susanna’s, she smiled, even though Susanna knew it wasn’t a real smile. It was Judith’s best, but she wasn’t offering even the slightest genuine smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t know if anyone was going to tell you,” started Susanna, speaking in a hushed tone, “but Romeo found out who killed Hamnet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Judith’s eyes widened, and she sat up almost immediately, a combination of anger, hurt and sadness in her eyes, visible even through the darkness of their shared bedroom. “What? Why didn’t you tell me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mum was going to tell you, but she didn’t know if you were ready to hear it.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>On second thought, maybe she’s not ready to hear this, </span>
  </em>
  <span>thought Susanna, biting her lip. “I don’t know if you want any involvement in this, but we’ve worked up a plan to kill the person who killed Hamnet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Judith stood up, fury in her eyes. She wasn’t upset anymore -- for the first time in weeks, there was no sadness in her eyes. Instead, she was consumed by a rage that would only be satiated in one way; getting justice for her brother. “Who killed him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leviathan. Technically, he’s Romeo’s father, but Romeo doesn’t want anything to do with him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And where is he now?” spat Judith, pure venom in her voice. Susanna flinched slightly -- she wasn’t all too sure if Judith was talking about Leviathan or Romeo. It was possible that she was talking about both, even.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Judith, calm down,” said Susanna, rushing over to her little sister. “I know what you’re feeling. I felt it too when Romeo told me, okay? You need to listen to me before you do anything else. I don’t want to lose you, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s the point, Susanna?” asked Judith. “What’s the point in calming down? If we know who killed Hamnet, why haven’t we killed him already? If we just wait it out and he kills another innocent kid, what’s the point in waiting it out when we could do it now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Judith, look at me.” There was an intensity in Susanna’s voice, one that hadn’t been there before -- she felt how her mother must’ve felt when using her mind control powers, because Judith relaxed in Susanna’s arms without any further protest. “You need to think about this rationally, okay? If you go after Leviathan alone, you’ll die, too. And I know that’s probably what you want right now, but Leviathan will just have another victory under his belt. He’s vicious, and none of us can do this alone. If we’re doing this, we’re doing it as a family.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Judith exhaled; with each outward breath, the anger subsided, and her irrational feelings were replaced with numbness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Count me in, then.”</span>
</p>
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